Contractor Can't Evade FCA Deal Due To Financial Troubles

By Madeline Lyskawa

Participants of an alleged scheme to defraud a veterans' contracting program must abide by a 2024 settlement reached on the eve of trial, a D.C. federal judge ruled Monday, rejecting an IT firm's claims that the deal has become "commercially impracticable."

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DOJ Says Wash. 340B Drug Law Is Preempted In Novartis Suit

By Ben Adlin

The U.S. Department of Justice waded into a dispute between pharmaceutical giants and the state of Washington on Monday, arguing that federal law preempts a new state law that expands discounts that drugmakers must provide under the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program.

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NJ Justices Skeptical Of Retroactivity Defense In Bond Suit

By Carla Baranauckas

New Jersey Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared skeptical of arguments by a group of major banks that a 2023 amendment to the state's False Claims Act is a substantive change that cannot be applied retroactively to long-running litigation over alleged bond-rate manipulation.

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DC Circ. Questions Alstom's Shot At Brightline Rail Deal

By Jared Foretek

A panel of the D.C. Circuit Monday questioned how competitive Alstom actually was in its bid to build train sets for Brightline West's forthcoming high-speed rail project between Las Vegas and Southern California, as the locomotive manufacturer argued it would have had a shot if not for a Buy America waiver granted to rival bidder Siemens.

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NJ Justices Asked To Expand General Contractor Duty Of Care

By George Woolston

A laborer injured while working on the Goethals Bridge replacement project attempted to persuade the New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday to broaden the duty of care for general contractors on commercial construction projects.

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NTIA Chief Says No Way To 'Contract Out' Of BEAD Rules

By Christopher Cole

The federal official in charge of a multibillion-dollar broadband deployment program on Monday reinforced the U.S. Commerce Department's stance that providers receiving grants will not be given leeway on network performance or other contract obligations.

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4th Circ. Says Medicaid Fraud Convictions Lacked Evidence

By Mark Payne

The government failed to prove the former owner of a mental health counseling company in Virginia willfully committed fraud by falsely billing Medicaid $200,000 for counseling services on two specific dates, a panel of the Fourth Circuit has found, overturning his convictions.

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11th Circ. Backs 12 Years For Former Atlanta Exec's Bribery

By Chart Riggall

The Eleventh Circuit backed a 12-year prison term for a former Atlanta City Hall official who was convicted of running a pay-to-play scheme for city contracts, deferring to a federal judge's discretion in handing out the sentence.

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Texas Rep. Says Rivera Wanted Political Change In Venezuela

By Carolina Bolado

U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, told jurors in Florida federal court on Monday that his meetings with Venezuelan officials set up by former Florida Congressman David Rivera were part of a larger attempt to negotiate an exit for then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and usher in free and fair elections for the country.

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Convicted Pa. Dentist Says Feds Failed To Prove Fraud

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A Pennsylvania dentist convicted along with his brother for using their dental practice to defraud Medicare, install unapproved dental implants in patients, and falsify visas to recruit foreign workers has asked a federal judge for acquittal or a new trial, arguing the government failed to show he committed any crimes.

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White House Ballroom Suit Will Continue, Preservationists Say

By Lauren Berg

The National Trust for Historic Preservation said Monday it will not drop its lawsuit over the Trump administration's plans to turn the White House's East Wing into an 89,000-square-foot ballroom, despite a shooting incident at a gala the president attended this weekend.

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Justices Nix $50M Zimbabwe Immunity Feud

By Caroline Simson

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday opted not to take up a petition asking it to resolve whether countries that agree to arbitrate an international dispute are also waiving their right to assert sovereign immunity in subsequent litigation to recognize a foreign judgment confirming an arbitral award.

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Brief

BAE, L3Harris End Navy Contract Trade Secret Suit In NY

By Adam Lidgett

Defense contractor BAE Systems has resolved its suit in New York federal court, accusing L3Harris Cincinnati Electronics Corp. of cutting it out of a government contract for naval defense technology after BAE shared its proprietary information.

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ABA Settles Scholarship Suit After Disavowing Racial Criteria

By Grace Elletson

The American Bar Association struck a deal to end a suit claiming a scholarship program for racial and ethnic minorities discriminated against white applicants, in line with a vow it made last year that its programs would be race-neutral, according to a filing Monday in Illinois federal court.

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2nd Trump Judicial Nominee Questioned Over Fla. State Case

By Courtney Bublé

For the second time in a year, a judicial nominee for a Florida federal court is under scrutiny for allegedly presiding over a state level case involving President Donald Trump while being considered for a federal judgeship.

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Reed Smith Targeted In Eletson Gas Ownership Fracas

By Caroline Simson

Reed Smith LLP and two of its partners are facing a $262 million lawsuit in a long-running and bitter dispute over ownership of an international gas shipping company, as well as other issues that remain unresolved following the vacatur of an underlying $102 million arbitral award for fraud.

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Alabama Justices Toss Case Over Atty's AI-Hallucinated Briefs

By Lauren Berg

The Alabama Supreme Court tossed an appeal and sanctioned a Mobile, Alabama, attorney for filing "grossly deficient" briefs that contained multiple inaccurate legal citations that the justices attributed to artificial intelligence "hallucinations."

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Justices Deny Ramey Appeal Of Sanctions In Google IP Case

By Ryan Davis

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to review $255,000 in sanctions on embattled attorney William Ramey and a client for bringing what a California judge said was a frivolous patent suit against Google, turning down his appeal arguing the decision used the wrong legal standard.

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Analysis

How A Rush To Trial Paid Off With A Rare FCPA Acquittal

By Phillip Bantz

A defense strategy to fast-track the trial in a yearslong criminal foreign bribery case against a Mexican businessman in Texas appeared to backfire when he was convicted and sent to prison last year, but the gamble ultimately paid off when a judge permanently tossed the case earlier this month.

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Toss Of Atty's LVMH Claim 'Problematic,' 2nd Circ. Judge Says

By Pete Brush

A Second Circuit judge said Monday that he is having a "hard time" understanding how the firing of a LVMH lawyer wasn't connected to her earlier harassment allegations, indicating a willingness to revive retaliation claims against the luxury goods giant.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court this past week tackled a fresh mix of deal litigation, procedural disputes and fiduciary duty claims, with several rulings and filings underscoring the court's continued focus on contractual precision, forum enforcement and the limits of stockholder challenges.

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