Aerospace & Defense

  • January 16, 2024

    Crypto Group Says It Has 'No Obligation' To Answer Warren

    Crypto policy group Coin Center has rebuffed Sen. Elizabeth Warren's demand for information about its employment of former government officials, telling the Massachusetts Democrat that it has "no obligation" to answer her queries about its ties to former defense, national security and law enforcement officials.

  • January 16, 2024

    Aircraft Parts Co. Must Face Contract Claims In Ch. 11 Suit

    A Texas bankruptcy judge has ruled that a group of lenders to bankrupt aircraft component supplier Incora has standing to pursue some claims against the company stemming from what the creditors alleged was an unfair transaction that stripped them of their seniority.

  • January 16, 2024

    Camp Lejeune Litigants Want Lower Causation Hurdle

    Litigants in the Camp Lejeune toxic water lawsuit urged a federal court Monday to simplify the evidence needed to link a disease's cause to exposure while at the Marine training base, saying that doing so adheres to the principle of the law empowering the lawsuits.

  • January 16, 2024

    3M Earplug Trial Litigants Agree To $6B Deal

    3M has said that since it reached a $6 billion deal to end claims that its combat earplugs failed to protect the hearing of service members and veterans, it has won the support of plaintiffs who had been preparing to go to trial in Florida and Minnesota.

  • January 16, 2024

    Afghan Co. Says Taliban Takeover Doesn't Stop Contract Case

    A logistics firm has pushed back against the Defense Logistics Agency's argument that a lack of reciprocity between U.S. and Afghan courts should doom the company's $17 million suit over Afghanistan scrap disposal contracts, saying the agency had misinterpreted reciprocity law.

  • January 16, 2024

    Feds Sole-Sourced $134M Deal To Suspect Co., Supplier Says

    A fuel supplier blasted the Defense Logistics Agency for sole-sourcing a $134 million contract to a company accused by the supplier, in a separate, ongoing lawsuit, of orchestrating a contract fraud scheme straight out of a movie.

  • January 16, 2024

    Viasat Opposes Revisiting FCC Denial Of Starlink Rural Funds

    Satellite giant Viasat has urged the Federal Communications Commission to reject a Virginia resident's push for the agency to reconsider denying more than $885 million in rural support to the Starlink satellite broadband service.

  • January 16, 2024

    High Court Won't Revive Agent Orange Benefits Dispute

    The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a petition Tuesday from a veterans advocacy group saying Vietnam War veterans who only flew air missions were wrongly excluded from disability benefits for illnesses caused by Agent Orange.

  • January 16, 2024

    Union Funds Drop Suit Against CIA Janitorial Contractors

    Two union benefit funds have dropped their federal lawsuit against a pair of companies that staff janitorial workers and security guards at the Central Intelligence Agency's headquarters, agreeing in a stipulation of dismissal docketed Tuesday to stop pursuing claims that the companies withheld financial documents from fund-retained auditors.

  • January 16, 2024

    Trial Looks To End 100-Year Debate Over Fla. Island's Owner

    A land dispute 100 years in the making over the ownership of an uninhabited island off the harbor of Key West, Florida, could soon find resolution, as the matter went to trial Tuesday before a federal judge in Miami.

  • January 16, 2024

    SpaceX Demands Halt To NLRB Case Over Firings

    SpaceX called for a Texas federal judge to block the litigation of a National Labor Relations Board complaint alleging the company illegally fired critics of CEO Elon Musk, contending that the administrative case shouldn't go forward because the agency's structure is unconstitutional.

  • January 16, 2024

    Firm Says Intelligence Deal Valid Despite Registration Snag

    A Virginia joint venture urged the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to uphold its support contract with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency despite a lapsed registration in the contracting database, saying the agency waived registration requirements due to database issues.

  • January 16, 2024

    Sen. Menendez, Wife Ask For Own Trials In Bribery Case

    U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and his wife, Nadine, are requesting that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York sever their trials in their federal foreign bribery case to avoid a "Catch-22" in deciding whether each should testify against the other.

  • January 12, 2024

    'Traumatized' Passengers Sue Boeing Over 737 Max 9 Blowout

    After the harrowing blowout of a mid-cabin panel and rapid depressurization aboard their 737 Max 9 jet, passengers on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 sued The Boeing Co. in Washington state court on Friday, saying the event "emotionally traumatized most if not all aboard."

  • January 12, 2024

    IT Firms Sue Over Exclusion From $12B DLA Contract

    Two federal contractors disputed their exclusion from a competition for a Defense Logistics Agency information technology services contract worth up to $12 billion, claiming in separate protests that the DLA improperly evaluated their bids using criteria not stated in the solicitation.

  • January 12, 2024

    Boeing Accused Of Negligence In Love-Triangle Murder

    Boeing's failure to act after learning that two of its employees were romantically involved with their supervisor resulted in one of the employees murdering his co-worker, according to a suit removed to Washington federal court Friday.

  • January 12, 2024

    Expanded Scrutiny Of Defense Deals Raises Scope Concerns

    An inconspicuous portion of the 2024 legislation establishing U.S. Department of Defense priorities grants the agency greater ability to scrutinize mergers and acquisitions, but knowing which deals will merit close inspection is a guessing game without regulatory guidance.

  • January 12, 2024

    Gov't Workers Slam Feds' Bid To Escape Savings Plan Suit

    Federal workers and military members rebuffed the U.S. government and two contractors' efforts to dismiss claims that they mismanaged their retirement savings, telling a court in Washington, D.C., that they adequately alleged the group's liability for botching a system modernization effort.

  • January 12, 2024

    GAO Says DOD's Accidental Info Leak To Biz Rival Not Unfair

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office rejected a Miami-based aviation fuel and service company's claim that the U.S. Department of Defense's logistics agency unlawfully disclosed an internal memorandum containing sensitive information to a rival company, saying the agency hadn't done so intentionally.

  • January 12, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: Chevron Deference, Corp. Filings

    The U.S. Supreme Court will be closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and will begin a short oral argument week Tuesday, during which the justices will consider overturning Chevron deference, a decades-old doctrine that instructs courts to defer to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes. 

  • January 12, 2024

    High Court Eyes Chevron Deference: What You Need To Know

    Will the U.S. Supreme Court overturn 40 years of doctrine telling courts to defer to federal agencies when interpreting laws? That's what is at stake Wednesday when the justices hear two cases, both from fishing companies that have asked the court to turn its back or limit the impact of the 1984 decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. Here, catch up with Law360's coverage of the cases brought by Loper Bright Enterprises and Relentless Inc.

  • January 11, 2024

    Aircraft Parts Supplier Incora Can Solicit Votes For Ch. 11 Plan

    A Texas bankruptcy judge on Thursday signed off on the disclosure statement of Incora's Chapter 11 plan, setting aside an objection from noteholders that argued the aerospace component distributor should not seek creditors' votes on the plan before a lawsuit they brought against it is resolved.

  • January 11, 2024

    DOD Eyes Modernized Industrial Base In 'First-Ever' Strategy

    The Pentagon on Thursday released its first-ever strategy for building a next-generation defense industrial ecosystem that prioritizes collaboration with private industries and international allies to stay prepared for national security threats such as from China and Russia.

  • January 11, 2024

    NLRB Wants SpaceX's Constitutional Challenge Sent To Calif.

    The National Labor Relations Board sought Thursday to transfer SpaceX's bombshell suit challenging its constitutionality from Texas to California, saying the case has "virtually no nexus" to the court where it was filed and accusing the spacecraft maker of forum shopping.

  • January 11, 2024

    Watchdog OK's VA's Treatment Of $331M Conflicts Claims

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has dismissed claims that a $331 million U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cybersecurity contract was tainted by the contract winner's employment of a former VA official, saying the purported conflict of interest was sufficiently investigated.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Management Tips To Keep Law Firm Merger Talks Moving

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    Many law firm mergers that make solid business sense still fall apart due to the costs and frustrations of inefficient negotiations, but firm managers can increase the chance of success by effectively planning and executing merger discussions, say Lisa Smith and Kristin Stark at Fairfax Associates.

  • Rethinking In-Office Attendance For Associate Retention

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    The hybrid office attendance model doesn't work for all employees, but it does for many — and balancing these two groups is important for associate retention and maintaining a BigLaw firm culture that supports all attorneys, says Summer Eberhard at Major Lindsey.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Timeliness, Discovery, Registration Gap

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    In this month's bid protest roundup, Michaela Thornton at MoFo examines recent decisions from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Government Accountability Office that consider the timeliness of a protest filing, discovery beyond the administrative record and a lapse in System for Award Management registration.

  • Murdaugh Trials Offer Law Firms Fraud Prevention Reminders

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    As the fraud case against Alex Murdaugh continues to play out, the evidence and narrative presented at his murder trial earlier this year may provide lessons for law firms on implementing robust internal controls that can detect and prevent similar kinds of fraud, say Travis Casner and Helga Zauner at Weaver and Tidwell.

  • Firm Tips For Helping New Lawyers Succeed Post-Pandemic

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    Ten steps can help firms significantly enhance the experience of attorneys who started their careers in the coronavirus pandemic era, including facilitating opportunities for cross-firm connection, which can ultimately help build momentum for business development, says Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners.

  • Fla. Foreign Real Estate Law Brings Broad Investment Risks

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    Last month, Florida became the latest state to enact legislation prohibiting Chinese investors from acquiring certain interests in real property, introducing significant legal uncertainty and consequences for real estate stakeholders and the private equity industry, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Prepping Your Business Ahead Of Affirmative Action Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on whether race should play a role in college admissions could potentially end affirmative action, and companies will need a considered approach to these circumstances that protects their brand power and future profits, and be prepared to answer tough questions, say Nadine Blackburn at United Minds and Eric Blankenbaker at Weber Shandwick.

  • Defending State Law Claims That Implicate National Security

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    GRID Networks' recent voluntary dismissal of its suit against Quantum Leap, in which U.S. cabinet-level officials expressed concerns about the security risks of hearing the matter in state court, shows how classified information can shape litigation outcomes, say Stephen Preston and Andrew Shipley at WilmerHale.

  • Tackling Judge-Shopping Concerns While Honoring Localism

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    As the debate continues over judge-shopping and case assignments in federal court, policymakers should look to a hybrid model that preserves the benefits of localism for those cases that warrant it, while preventing the appearance of judge-shopping for cases of a more national or widespread character, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • No Easy Out For FCA Defendants After Justices' Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 1 decision in U.S. v. SuperValu puts an end to the defense that a federal contractor's belief and in-house debates about problematic conduct are irrelevant to False Claims Act liability, says R. Scott Oswald at The Employment Law Group.

  • Perspectives

    How Attorneys Can Help Combat Anti-Asian Hate

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    Amid an exponential increase in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, unique obstacles stand in the way of accountability and justice — but lawyers can effect powerful change by raising awareness, offering legal representation, advocating for victims’ rights and more, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Opinion

    Congress Needs To Enact A Federal Anti-SLAPP Statute

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    Although many states have passed statutes meant to prevent individuals or entities from filing strategic lawsuits against public participation, other states have not, so it's time for Congress to enact a federal statute to ensure that free speech and petitioning rights are uniformly protected nationwide in federal court, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Sanctions Compliance In Era Of Record Enforcement Action

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    The recent record-breaking penalties in separate actions against British American Tobacco and Seagate amid a sanctions violation crackdown are a reminder to prioritize factors emphasized by the National Security Division and other enforcement agencies, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • 5 Insider-Threat Reminders After Recent DOJ Prosecutions

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    Three recent U.S. Department of Justice actions may well lead to much greater scrutiny of companies in which insiders engage in a variety of corporate misconduct, including conducting or enabling cybercrimes, which will likely fall not just on government contractors, but across industries and geographies, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • FCA Can Be An Effective Tool For Fighting Customs Fraud

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    Appeals pending before the U.S. Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit may affect the scienter and jurisdictional aspects of False Claims Act cases alleging customs fraud, which can provide an avenue to alert U.S. Customs and Border Protection and potentially help clients to recover losses from unfair competitors, say Ellen London at London & Stout and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Li Yu.

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