Government Contracts

  • May 02, 2024

    Cisco Counterfeiting Scheme Earns Fla. Man 6½ Years

    A Florida resident was sentenced to 6½ years in prison after pleading guilty to running what New Jersey federal prosecutors said was an "enormous" scheme to sell over $1 billion worth of counterfeit and broken Cisco networking devices.

  • May 02, 2024

    11th Circ. Rules Tribal Co. Is Not Immune In Trade Secrets Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit has revived a tribal-owned defense contractor's suit against another tribal-owned competitor and a former employee for allegedly stealing trade secrets, finding the competitor agreed to federal court jurisdiction when it participated in the bidding process for work on a missile detection system.

  • May 02, 2024

    11th Circ. Urged To Clear Final Hurdle To Interstate Water Deal

    As the finish line comes into view in Georgia and Alabama's decadeslong fight over water rights, the Peach State, the federal government and a host of local water providers are urging the Eleventh Circuit to reject a bid by environmental groups to block the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' management proposal for the Apalachicola watershed.

  • May 02, 2024

    Claims Court Won't Upend $21M FEMA Deal Over Doc Mix-Up

    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims refused to read further misconduct into a document mix-up in the $21 million battle over a Federal Emergency Management Agency administrative deal, accepting FEMA's explanations that it made a small mistake.

  • May 02, 2024

    DOL Fights Bid To Halt Prevailing Wage Rule

    A group of construction groups didn't show how a final rule regulating prevailing wages hurts them, and halting the rule wouldn't be in the public's interest, the U.S. Department of Labor told a Texas federal court.

  • May 02, 2024

    GAO Backs Navy's Cost Realism Evaluation For Support Deal

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office denied a joint venture's protest of a U.S. Navy decision to tap a competitor for an operations support deal in the Philippines, saying the protest was based on a misunderstanding of cost realism evaluation requirements.

  • May 01, 2024

    Senate Revs Up For FAA Funding Fight

    The U.S. Senate on Wednesday inched toward advancing multiyear legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration's safety and airport improvement programs, accelerating debate on a package that would hire more air traffic controllers and enhance passenger protections amid high-profile aviation industry mishaps.

  • May 01, 2024

    Colo. Toll Lane Venture Says Aecom Can't Get Penalty Interest

    A Colorado joint venture that formed to construct a state toll lanes project has told a federal judge that he erroneously awarded a design firm penalty interest on a $5.2 million judgment, arguing in a motion that the firm doesn't qualify as a subcontractor under Colorado law.

  • May 01, 2024

    Food Supplier Can't Shake Off $5M DOD Bid-Rigging Claim

    A food supplier must face a U.S. Department of Defense agency's efforts to recoup the purported $5 million lost to an ex-employee's bid-rigging scheme, after a contract appeals board ruled the contractor was required to provide fair, unrigged prices.

  • May 01, 2024

    Billionaire Energy Co. Founder Sues Booz Allen Over IRS Leak

    Energy Transfer co-founder Kelcy Warren accused government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton of failing to supervise an employee who stole Warren's private tax information and that of thousands of other wealthy people while on assignment at the IRS, according to a complaint in Maryland federal court.

  • May 01, 2024

    Feds Say Conn. Psychologist's Fraud Was His 'Way Of Life'

    A Connecticut psychologist who pled guilty to defrauding his state's Medicaid program of $1.6 million in January should spend three years and one month in prison for a scheme that was "a way of life" rather than a momentary lapse in judgment, the government said in a sentencing memorandum.

  • April 30, 2024

    Texas Appeals Panel Keeps Court Reporter's AI Case Alive

    An Austin, Texas, appeals panel on Tuesday kept alive a court reporter's attempt to pursue an administrative complaint against an artificial intelligence-powered "digital reporting firm," rejecting a state agency's argument that jurisdictional issues block the court reporter from seeking a writ of mandamus compelling the agency to consider her claims.

  • April 30, 2024

    State Dept. Proposes Export Waivers For Australia, UK

    The U.S. Department of State proposed a regulation Tuesday that would exempt Australia and the United Kingdom from export restrictions on sensitive technology as it faces mounting congressional pressure to support a defense partnership with them.

  • April 30, 2024

    Wash. Fights GEO's Bid For Final End To ICE Detention Law

    The state of Washington pushed back against GEO Group's effort to scrap its law allowing surprise inspections and raising hygiene standards at immigration detention facilities, saying the private prison operator is already partly shielded from enforcement of the law while a Washington federal court considers its constitutional challenge.

  • April 30, 2024

    Alaskan Builder Says Army Corps Delayed $41.2M Deal

    An Alaska construction company is protesting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' decision to boot it off a $41.2 million military construction project for delays, telling the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that the Corps caused the delays.

  • April 30, 2024

    Pfizer Can't Slip COVID-19 Vax Suit, Texas Tells Court

    The Texas attorney general told a federal judge not to let Pfizer Inc. out of its suit accusing the pharmaceutical company of misleading the public about its COVID-19 vaccine, arguing the suit was properly pled under state law in a brief filed Monday.

  • April 30, 2024

    UK Fund Cites Jacobs' Qatar Oversight Failings In Del. Suit

    A UK pension fund investor in the U.S.-based business that oversaw construction of 2022 World Cup soccer facilities in Qatar has sued the company's directors in Delaware's Court of Chancery, seeking recovery of damages arising from director failures to monitor human rights violations reported by workers.

  • April 30, 2024

    10th Circ. Says Biden Can Raise Contractors' Minimum Wage

    President Joe Biden's minimum hourly wage increase for federal contractors to $15 is intertwined with furthering the economy and is therefore supported by the Procurement Act, a split Tenth Circuit panel ruled Tuesday, agreeing with a Colorado federal court to keep the wage bump.

  • April 30, 2024

    Gov't Contracts Of The Month: Moon Rover, Doomsday Planes

    In April, the U.S. vowed to make a Japanese astronaut the first non-U.S. citizen to step on the moon in exchange for Japan and Toyota's habitable lunar rover and advanced a $13.1 billion effort for new Doomsday planes designed to withstand nuclear warfare. Here, Law360 looks at some of the most noteworthy government contracts over the last month.

  • April 30, 2024

    Jury Convicts Ill. Biz Owner Of $1.3M VA Kickback Scheme

    An Illinois business owner was convicted on Monday of eight counts of wire fraud for paying kickbacks to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clerk in exchange for what prosecutors called "bogus" monthly rental fees.

  • April 29, 2024

    ReNew Health To Pay $7M To Settle COVID-19 FCA Claims

    ReNew Health Group LLC has agreed to pay the federal government and California $7 million to settle whistleblower allegations that the healthcare provider misused a COVID-19 waiver intended to free up hospital beds by submitting fraudulent claims for nursing home residents, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.

  • April 29, 2024

    Split 7th Circ. Clears Insurers In O'Hare Steel Defect Fight

    A split Seventh Circuit affirmed Monday a finding that the Chicago O'Hare International Airport canopy's general contractor can't recoup more than $37.5 million in costs from its insurer over cracked welds in the canopy, finding that the defects in the welds and columns don't constitute property damage under its insurance policies.

  • April 29, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Gives HP Unit 2nd Chance To Challenge Camera IP

    The Federal Circuit on Monday revived a debate about whether FullView Inc.'s panoramic camera system patent should be invalidated as obvious, while affirming a California federal judge's decision that HP unit Polycom Inc. infringed that patent.

  • April 29, 2024

    GSA Guides Agencies On Responsible Generative AI Buying

    The U.S. General Services Administration on Monday issued guidance to federal agencies for buying generative artificial intelligence services and related hardware, intended to ensure that emerging technology is used "responsibly and effectively."

  • April 29, 2024

    Ex-COO Of Mo. Charity Gets 3 Years For Bribing Officials

    The former chief operating officer of a Missouri-based healthcare charity was sentenced to three years in prison Monday after admitting she and her husband, the charity's ex-chief financial officer, conspired to bribe elected officials in Arkansas, according to Missouri federal court documents.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Unpacking The New Russia Sanctions And Export Controls

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    Although geographically broad new prohibitions the U.S., U.K. and EU issued last week are somewhat underwhelming in their efforts to target third-country facilitators of Russia sanctions evasion, companies with exposure to noncompliant jurisdictions should pay close attention to their potential impacts, say attorneys at Shearman.

  • Args In APA Case Amplify Justices' Focus On Agency Power

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    In arguments last week in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve, the U.S. Supreme Court justices paid particular importance to the possible ripple effects of their decision, which will address when a facial challenge to long-standing federal rules under the Administrative Procedure Act first accrues and could thus unleash a flood of new lawsuits, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Mitigating Whistleblower Risks After High Court UBS Ruling

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    While it is always good practice for companies to periodically review whistleblower trainings, policies and procedures, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent whistleblower-friendly ruling in Murray v. UBS Securities helps demonstrate their importance in reducing litigation risk, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • A Cautionary Tale On Hospital-Physician Alignment Structures

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    A $345 million settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Community Health Network highlights how quickly hospital and physician alignment relationships can violate legal restrictions on such dealings, and the onerous financial penalties that can ensue, say Robert Threlkeld and Elliott Coward at Morris Manning.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: The Terms Matter

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    Stephanie Magnell and Zachary Jacobson at Seyfarth examine recent decisions from the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which offer reminders about the importance of including contract terms to address the unexpected circumstances that may interfere with performance.

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

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    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • Opinion

    Biden Admin's March-In Plan Would Hurt Medical Innovation

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    The Biden administration's proposal to reinterpret the Bayh-Dole Act and allow the government to claw back patents when it determines that a commercialized product's price is too high would discourage private investment in important research and development, says Ken Thorpe at the Rollins School of Public Health.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • How DOD Can Improve Flexibility Under Proposed Cyber Rule

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    The U.S. Department of Defense should carefully address some of the more nuanced aspects of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program to avoid unintended consequences, specifically the proposal to severely limit contractor use of plans of actions and milestones, say Joshua Duvall at Maynard Nexsen and Sandeep Kathuria at L3Harris Technologies.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling Helps Clarify When Gov't Clawback Is Timely

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    The Federal Circuit’s examination of claims accrual in a January decision that allows the Defense Contract Management Agency to pursue overpayment claims under a cost-reimbursement contract serves as a reminder that the government can lose such claims by waiting too long to file, say Evan Sherwood and Peter Hutt at Covington.

  • Preparing For DOJ's Data Analytics Push In FCPA Cases

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    After the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent announcement that it will leverage data analytics in Foreign Corrupt Practice Act investigations and prosecutions, companies will need to develop a compliance strategy that likewise implements data analytics to get ahead of enforcement risks, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Considering The Logical Extremes Of Your Legal Argument

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    Recent oral arguments in the federal election interference case against former President Donald Trump highlighted the age-old technique of extending an argument to its logical limit — a principle that is still important for attorneys to consider in preparing their cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • How 3 New Laws Change Calif. Nonprofits' Legal Landscape

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    Legislation that went into effect on Jan. 1 should be welcomed by California’s nonprofit organizations, which may now receive funding more quickly, rectify past noncompliance more easily and have greater access to the states’ security funding program, say Casey Williams and Brett Overby at Liebert Cassidy.

  • ChristianaCare Settlement Reveals FCA Pitfalls For Hospitals

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    ChristianaCare's False Claims Act settlement in December is the first one based on a hospital allegedly providing private physicians with free services in the form of hospital-employed clinicians and provides important compliance lessons as the government ramps up scrutiny of compensation arrangements, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

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