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Government Contracts
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February 28, 2024
Air Force Contractor Strikes Deal In EEOC Disability Bias Suit
A U.S. Air Force contractor reached a deal to stave off a trial and end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit alleging the company illegally barred workers from taking certain prescriptions, according to an Alabama federal court filing.
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February 27, 2024
Mohawk Nation Rejects 1796 Land Agreement, Court Told
The Mohawk Nation says it has numerous outstanding issues regarding a proposed settlement with the state of New York over 2,000 acres of land stemming from a 1796 treaty, arguing that its concerns have yet to be addressed or considered relevant by the court or its present counsel as negotiations continue.
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February 27, 2024
Defense Dept. Looks To Shake Firefighting Foam MDL Claims
The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday asked a South Carolina federal judge to free it from claims in sprawling multidistrict litigation that its use of forever chemical-containing firefighting foam contaminated drinking water near its facilities.
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February 27, 2024
New Lead Confirmed For Watchdog Office For Fed. Employees
The U.S. Senate voted 49-47 on Tuesday night to confirm Hampton Dellinger, a former Boies Schiller Flexner LLP partner, to lead the federal watchdog agency charged with protecting federal employees' interests.
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February 27, 2024
Ga. ICE Facility Dismissed From Forced Labor Suit
A Georgia federal judge on Tuesday allowed an immigration detention facility to escape a proposed class action accusing it of forcing detainees to work for as little as $1 per day after it argued it couldn't be sued under Georgia law.
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February 27, 2024
Ga. Judge Pauses $300M Bond Deadline In Monkey Farm Fight
A Georgia federal judge on Monday suspended an imminent deadline for a $300 million bond agreement to finance the construction of a controversial primate-rearing farm amid a series of court fights over whether local officials can legally back out of the deal.
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February 27, 2024
Miller & Chevalier Adds CIA Gov't Contracts Counsel
Miller & Chevalier Chtd. has hired a government contracts attorney who most recently worked as a senior counsel in the contract law division of the CIA's Office of the General Counsel, the firm announced Monday.
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February 27, 2024
Cybersecurity Firm Says Reseller Stiffed It To Pay Other Bills
Cybersecurity firm Acronis Inc. is accusing a reseller of using the proceeds from the sale of its products to pay off other financial obligations and ignoring its $1.5 million debt to Acronis, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Massachusetts state court.
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February 27, 2024
Energy, Infrastructure Pro Rejoins V&E In Houston
Vinson & Elkins LLP is welcoming back a longtime attorney, announcing Monday that an energy and infrastructure expert is rejoining the firm as a partner in its Houston office after a brief foray working with an energy emissions reduction software company.
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February 26, 2024
KBR Urges 4th Circ. To OK $8M Award Against Kuwaiti Co.
A global engineering corporation has asked the Fourth Circuit not to overturn a lower court decision enforcing an approximately $8 million arbitral award against a Kuwaiti construction company after a dispute over Iraqi wartime contracts, saying nothing warrants upending the award.
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February 26, 2024
Ligado Claims Iridium Bias In $40B Spectrum Takings Case
Ligado Networks has pushed back against Iridium Communications' bid to back the government in Ligado's $40 billion lawsuit accusing the government of unlawfully taking over a spectrum it secured exclusive licensing for, saying Iridium had ulterior motives for filing a friend-of-the-court brief.
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February 26, 2024
Inmate, 8 Others Charged In Trafficking, Tax Fraud Schemes
A California prison inmate has been charged along with eight other individuals with operating two separate illegal schemes: one to distribute methamphetamine and another to fraudulently claim over $550 million in COVID-19-based tax credits.
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February 26, 2024
Journos Say Feds Can't Delay Contractor Demographic Data
The Center for Investigative Reporting urged a California federal court not to allow the U.S. Department of Labor to withhold government contractor demographic reports, arguing that any further delays in disclosure would harm the public.
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February 26, 2024
Teva Tells 1st Circ. Feds Must Clear High Bar In FCA Case
Teva Pharmaceuticals told the First Circuit on Monday that the federal government should be held to — and cannot meet — a strict causation standard in a False Claims Act kickback case, asking the court to settle a matter of first impression in the circuit.
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February 26, 2024
6th Circ. Sanctions Prison Co. For Not Disclosing Asset Info
A Sixth Circuit panel has held a Federal Bureau of Prisons contractor in contempt for its "woefully inadequate" efforts to turn over financial records to the National Labor Relations Board as ordered, in a dispute over two fired union supporters' back pay.
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February 26, 2024
Feds Say Fla. Atty Can't Undo COVID Relief Fraud Conviction
A U.S. attorney's office has pushed back on a Florida lawyer's bid to vacate her conviction in Georgia federal court of conspiring to defraud a coronavirus pandemic relief program, saying the government doesn't have to prove she was "behind the keyboard" when the applications were submitted to be convicted of the charges.
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February 26, 2024
Justices Decline Standard Chartered Sanction Evasion Suit
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider whether a whistleblower should've been granted a hearing in a lower court to support allegations that Standard Chartered Bank cleared roughly $56 billion in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran.
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February 26, 2024
Justices Say Tribes Can Argue Separately In Healthcare Row
Two Native American tribes seeking to uphold rulings that ordered the federal government to reimburse them millions of dollars in administrative healthcare costs can argue their cases separately, the U.S. Supreme Court said Monday.
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February 23, 2024
DOD Watchdog Flags Increased Emphasis On Contract Fraud
The U.S. Department of Defense's internal watchdog has been expending more effort to fight procurement fraud, in "a shift" from healthcare fraud being the primary focus for federal investigators, according to Inspector General Robert Storch.
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February 23, 2024
Feds Back ICE Contractor In 9th Circ. Detainee Wage Fight
The federal government told the Ninth Circuit that immigrant detainees at contractor-run facilities aren't covered by state labor laws, backing GEO Group Inc.'s effort to overturn $23.2 million in judgments that found a detainee work program violated Washington's minimum wage law.
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February 23, 2024
Groups Back Texas' Bid To Void Feds' Highway GHG Rule
Construction trade groups have thrown their support behind the state of Texas' federal lawsuit seeking to vacate a new U.S. Department of Transportation rule requiring states to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from federally funded highway projects.
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February 23, 2024
Denver Jury Awards Aecom $5M In Toll Lanes Fight
A Denver federal jury awarded construction design firm Aecom $5.25 million in damages Friday for a subcontractor's failure to pay for design services for a Colorado highway expansion, and rejected the subcontractor's attempt to get $260 million in counterclaims.
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February 23, 2024
Motorola, Mass. Police Sued For Using Intercepting Devices
Motorola sold technology that let the Massachusetts State Police make illegal, warrantless recordings during investigations, according to a federal class action filed by four men claiming to be subjects of the secret recordings.
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February 23, 2024
US Hits Russia With Largest Sanctions Since Ukraine Invasion
The U.S. announced over 500 new sanctions on Russia Friday following the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, marking the largest number of sanctions since Moscow invaded Ukraine two years ago.
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February 23, 2024
Aversion To Fixed-Price Deals May Compel Gov't To Change
An emerging trend among large defense contractors to avoid fixed-price contracts with the federal government may force agencies to ease up on inflexible terms that undermine contractors' efforts to mitigate the lingering effects of COVID-19 and current inflation.
Expert Analysis
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Case Law Is Mixed On D&O Coverage For Gov't Investigations
As the Fourth Circuit’s recent decision in Brown Goldstein v. Federal Insurance Co. demonstrates, federal appeals courts take different approaches to determine whether government investigations are covered by directors and officers liability insurance, so companies and individuals must review their policy language, say Chloe Law, Jan Larson and Caroline Meneau at Jenner & Block.
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Justices' Corruption Ruling May Shift DOJ Bank Fraud Tactics
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month in Ciminelli v. U.S., curtailing a government theory of wire fraud liability, prosecutors may need to reconsider their approach to the bank fraud statute, particularly when it comes to foreign bank enforcement, says Brian Kearney at Ballard Spahr.
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SuperValu's Lesson: Always Be Building An FCA Defense
The recent U.S. v. SuperValu decision confirming that scienter is an essential element of False Claims Act liability should motivate government contractors to prepare for allegations of material misrepresentation by building a record of their honorable efforts toward regulatory compliance, say David Resnicoff and Andrew Patton at Riley Safer.
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How Attys Can Avoid Exposing Their Firms To Cyberattacks
Attorneys are the weakest link in their firms' cyberdefenses because hackers often exploit the gap between individuals’ work and personal cybersecurity habits, but there are some steps lawyers can take to reduce the risks they create for their employers, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy & Protection.
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Virginia 'Rocket Docket' Slowdown Is Likely A Blip
After being the fastest or second-fastest federal civil trial court for 14 straight years, the Eastern District of Virginia has slid to 18th place, but the rocket docket’s statistical tumble doesn't mean the district no longer maintains a speedy civil docket, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
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NEPA Reforms May Aid Project Speed, But Red Tape Remains
The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 included amendments to the National Environmental Policy Act that are designed to streamline the federal environmental review process for infrastructure projects, but coordination with agencies and early stakeholder engagement are still likelier to lead to successful outcomes than time and page limits, say Jena Maclean and Stephanie Regenold at Perkins Coie.
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4th Circ. Ruling Outlines Defense Against Retaliation Claims
The Fourth Circuit's surprising decision in Johnson v. Global Language Center eschewed the low standard typically applied to demonstrating protected activities under Title VII and could affect internal complaint processes and the retaliation defenses available to employers, say Tory Summey and Zack Anstett at Parker Poe.
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An Overview Of OFCCP's Religious-Exemption Reset
The recent rescission of a Trump-era rule that gave government contractors broader latitude under federal anti-discrimination rules doesn't prohibit employment decisions based on religious faith, but clarifies the factors a company must consider when seeking a religious exemption, say Zev Grumet-Morris and Christopher Durham at Duane Morris.
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High Court Underscores DOJ's Role In Policing FCA Litigation
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Polansky v. Executive Health Resources reaffirms that the government has final say in False Claims Act cases, allowing for meaningful guardrails that deter private litigators from seeking to regulate industries that Congress has delegated to expert administrative agencies, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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5 Management Tips To Keep Law Firm Merger Talks Moving
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.
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What NIH's New Grant Guidance Means For Awardees
New guidance from the National Institutes of Health tightens grant requirements for international subawards, necessarily increasing accountability of foreign subrecipients and increasing the importance of prime awardees' efforts to plan carefully and educate key personnel, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Broader Implications Of High Court's Identity Theft Law Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dubin v. U.S., vacating a medical services biller’s aggravated identity theft conviction, endorses a restrained interpretive approach for practitioners dealing with ambiguous criminal statutes, and serves as a warning to prosecutors, say Gabrielle Friedman and Zachary Shemtob at Lankler Siffert.
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Rethinking In-Office Attendance For Associate Retention
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.
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Bid Protest Spotlight: Timeliness, Discovery, Registration Gap
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.
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FCA Liability Lessons From HHS Psychotherapy Audit
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recent finding of improper Medicare payments for psychotherapy services provided in 2020-2021 might inspire whistleblowers to pursue allegations under the federal False Claims Act, but there are reasons to be skeptical of converting these audit results into expansive FCA liability, say attorneys at Sidley.