( October 28, 2025, 10:42 AM EDT) -- BALTIMORE — Because of the lapse of federal funding appropriations, a Maryland federal judge on Oct. 27 granted the federal government’s motion for a stay of a lawsuit brought by a company seeking a tax refund of $3,568,706.52 in employee retention credits (ERC) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act as a business suffering a significant decline in gross receipts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic....