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Government Contracts
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March 18, 2024
'Brazen' Text By LA Pol Surfaces In Raymond Chan RICO Trial
A former lobbyist received a "brazen" text from then-Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar in 2018 seeking a bribe from his developer client, according to testimony heard on Monday by a Los Angeles federal jury considering racketeering and bribery charges against another former city official, Raymond Chan.
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March 18, 2024
Philly Nonprofit Execs Lived Large On Co. Money, Jury Told
Jurors should not believe arguments from two nonprofit executives who are former associates of City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson who said they simply made bookkeeping mistakes and didn't concoct an alleged scheme to spend company money on things like huge bonuses, lavish vacations and bribing a Milwaukee school official, federal prosecutors said Monday.
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March 18, 2024
Claims Court Won't Let Army Out Of Contract Breach Claims Yet
A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge ruled that a clause in a U.S. Army training service deal allowed it to end a contractor's deal but said he couldn't yet rule on claims the Army breached the deal by not making full payments.
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March 18, 2024
Feds Call $45B Nuclear Deal Appeal Moot After New Award
The federal government pressed the Federal Circuit to dismiss a contractor's appeal over registration issues with a $45 billion nuclear waste cleanup contract, arguing Monday the appeal was moot following the U.S. Department of Energy's reissuance of the deal.
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March 18, 2024
The Biggest Trade Secrets Awards In The Last 5 Years
Trade secrets cases are having a moment in the spotlight, thanks to some gargantuan damages awards over the past five years and more flexibility for plaintiffs to argue for what they think they are owed.
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March 18, 2024
Judge Pauses Fla. Tribe's Suit Over Clean Water Act Program
A Florida federal judge on Monday paused a lawsuit brought by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency improperly granted the state permitting authority under a Clean Water Act program, saying the case could be moot if an order in similar litigation is allowed to stand.
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March 18, 2024
High Court Doubts Feds Coerced Social Media Cos.
A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court appeared unconvinced Monday that the Biden administration violated the First Amendment by working with social media platforms to combat the spread of misinformation, often chiding Louisiana's solicitor general for presenting confusing and overly expansive arguments.
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March 18, 2024
Feds, Tribes, Casinos Face Off Over Trust Land Request
The Interior Department, Detroit-area casinos and two tribes are urging the D.C. Circuit to reject the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians' bid to compel the federal government to take land into trust for a casino venture several hundred miles away from its other trust lands on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
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March 18, 2024
4th Circ. Preview: Airport Mishap, Inmate Pay Launch March
The Fourth Circuit's spring session will task the court with refereeing a power struggle between Virginia regulators and the authority that runs Washington, D.C.'s airports — stemming from a workplace amputation — and delving into the "honest belief" doctrine's role in a Family Medical Leave Act case.
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March 16, 2024
Up Next At High Court: Gov't Jawboning & Retaliatory Arrests
The U.S. Supreme Court has a packed oral arguments calendar this week that includes disputes over the Biden administration's work with social media companies to combat misinformation, the appropriate evidence standard for bringing retaliatory arrest claims and whether the federal government can object to a consent decree entered into by three states.
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March 15, 2024
'This Is Scary, Boss': Jury Hears Secret Audio In LA RICO Trial
A then-assistant to former Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar secretly recorded his boss as they discussed what to do with a $200,000 cash bribe amid an ongoing FBI probe, according to audio heard Friday by a federal jury considering racketeering and bribery charges against another former city official, Raymond Chan.
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March 15, 2024
Dems Want New Missile Plan Axed If Military Can't Justify Cost
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., suggested the Air Force's new nuclear missile program should be shuttered after it exceeded its expected cost to taxpayers by $36 billion, unless it can justify its relevance to national security.
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March 15, 2024
Ex-Prisoners Partially Settle Prepaid Card Suit For $2.8M
Central National Bank NA and a class of former inmates who were charged fees for using the bank's prepaid debit cards from partner Numi Financial reached a $2.8 million settlement following mediation, but the parties have requested the court stay the case while class counsel investigates Numi's potential insolvency.
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March 15, 2024
Fla. Deal Might Let Illegal Gambling 'Proliferate,' Justices Told
A coalition of South Florida gambling opponents are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court's determination that a sports betting compact between the Sunshine State and the Seminole Tribe is lawful, arguing that their business and property interests will be negatively affected by the "unprecedented statewide gambling expansion."
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March 15, 2024
Navy Fails To Block Appeal Over Terminated HVAC Task Order
A California construction contractor can go forward appealing the U.S. Navy's decision to terminate a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning task order after the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals shot down the Navy's contention the appeals board lacked jurisdiction.
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March 15, 2024
Pittsburgh NLRB Office Approves Security Co.'s ULP Deal
A security company will pay more than $286,000 to workers to settle an unfair labor practice charge, the National Labor Relations Board announced Friday, with the NLRB general counsel winning a lost bargaining opportunity remedy.
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March 15, 2024
Military Subcontractor Says Partner Tried To Poach Work
A federal subcontractor tasked with building secure facilities for the Marine Corps hit its own subcontractor with a $7 million lawsuit on Friday, accusing its former partner of deliberately undermining that construction work, in an effort to "steal" related contracts.
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March 15, 2024
Contractor's Single Claim For 2 Lost Trucks Enough, For Now
A contractor didn't need to separate the value of two trucks lost by the U.S. Army to get the military to pay for replacement vehicles, an appeals board said, rejecting the Army's arguments that the contractor should have filed two claims.
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March 15, 2024
Fla. Tribe Urges No Pause In Suit Over State's Water Power
The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida on Thursday urged a federal judge not to pause its lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that alleges the state was improperly awarded authority over a Clean Water Act permitting program.
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March 15, 2024
Cannabis Sellers Want $6M Fees Refunded From Mass. Town
A group of cannabis retailers are suing Great Barrington, Massachusetts, saying the town has illegally collected nearly $6 million in community impact fees, despite admitting in writing that the companies have caused virtually no costs to the town.
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March 14, 2024
Ex-LA Official Lied To Feds Immediately In Interview, Jury Told
An FBI agent told a California federal jury on Thursday in former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan's federal bribery trial that Chan lied to him during a 2018 interview immediately after he was warned that lying to the bureau is a crime.
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March 14, 2024
3D-Gun Info Group Loses Suit Over Publishing Blueprints
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims tossed an open-source gun group's lawsuit alleging the federal government failed to follow a 2018 settlement allowing the group to publish firearm blueprints, rejecting the group's contention that dismissing a final claim would be unfair.
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March 14, 2024
Lawmakers Secure $1.3B For Native American Housing
A record $1.34 billion will go toward Native American housing programs as part of an appropriations package passed by Congress, a $324 million increase over last year's funding.
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March 14, 2024
Feds Say Healthcare Ruling Could Upset Tribal Relationships
The federal government is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court's ruling that ordered Indian Health Services to reimburse millions in administrative healthcare costs, saying if the two tribes prevail in the litigation, it would upend 35 years of practice between the agency and its contracting tribes.
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March 14, 2024
Axon, Cities Fight Over Producing Material From FTC Case
Axon Enterprise is sparring with municipalities accusing the police equipment maker of monopolizing the Taser and body camera markets, with the local governments pushing for what Axon described as the "premature and improper" production of discovery from the Federal Trade Commission's since-abandoned case.
Expert Analysis
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How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI
When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.
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How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth
Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.
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Bracing For Rising Cyber-Related False Claims Act Scrutiny
Two recent cyber-related False Claims Act cases illustrate the vulnerability of government contractors, including universities, obliged to self-attest compliance with multiple controls, signal the importance of accurate internal controls and underline the benefits of self-disclosure, say Townsend Bourne and Nikole Snyder at Sheppard Mullin.
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Corporate Compliance Lessons From FirstEnergy Scandal
Fallout from a massive bribery scheme involving Ohio electric utility FirstEnergy and state officeholders — including the recent sentencing of two defendants — has critical corporate governance takeaways for companies and individuals seeking to influence government policymaking, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.
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Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics
X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.
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Self-Disclosure Lessons From Exemplary Corp. Resolutions
With scant examples of corporate resolutions in the wake of U.S. Department of Justice self-disclosure policy changes last fall, companies may glean helpful insights from three recent declination letters, as well as other governmental self-reporting regimes, say Lindsey Collins and Kate Rumsey at Sheppard Mullin.
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ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act
While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
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8 Ways Life Sciences Cos. Can Adapt To The Social Media Era
As pharmaceutical and medical device companies harness the powerful promotion potential of social media, they must navigate legal, regulatory and reputational risks that can be particularly challenging due to the complex framework of rules that apply to the life sciences industry, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Bid Protest Spotlight: Unfair Advantage, Buy American Waiver
In this month's bid protest roundup, James Tucker at MoFo offers takeaways on one decision that considers unfair proposal development advantages in the context of an employee's access to nonpublic information in a prior federal government position, and another decision that reconsiders a contract award based on an inadequately supported waiver of Buy American Act restrictions.
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Prevailing Wage Rules Complicate Inflation Act Tax Incentives
Nicole Elliott and Timothy Taylor at Holland & Knight discuss the intersection between tax and labor newly created by the Inflation Reduction Act, and focus on aspects of recent U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of the Treasury rules that may catch tax-incentive seekers off guard.
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Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era
As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.
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Industry Takeaways From OMB's Final Buy America Guidance
The Office of Management and Budget's recently released guidance on "Buy America" requirements for federal infrastructure projects provides clarity in certain areas but fails to address troublesome inconsistencies with state laws and international trade agreements, so manufacturers and suppliers will need to tread carefully as agencies implement the changes, say Amy Hoang and Sarah Barney at Seyfarth Shaw.
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HHS Neuromonitoring Advisory May Have Broad Relevance
The Health Department Office of Inspector General's recent advisory opinion rejecting a neuromonitoring service's proposal for a shell arrangement isn't surprising, but it could be a harbinger of more warnings against problematic joint venture arrangements to come, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.
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The Basics Of Being A Knowledge Management Attorney
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Michael Lehet at Ogletree Deakins discusses the role of knowledge management attorneys at law firms, the common tasks they perform and practical tips for lawyers who may be considering becoming one.
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The Pros And Cons Of The Senate's DOD Data Rights Plan
The Senate's latest defense spending bill stands to benefit big business by clarifying that the government should not automatically obtain unlimited rights in certain contractor data, but the reduction of other protections elsewhere may put small businesses at risk, say Tyler Evans and Anna Menzel at Steptoe & Johnson.