Aerospace & Defense

  • June 06, 2024

    Former New Jersey AG Recalls 'Gross' Meeting With Menendez

    A U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission official took the stand in the bribery trial of Sen. Robert Menendez on Thursday, testifying that he shut down "gross" inquiries by the congressman while the official was serving as New Jersey's attorney general.

  • June 06, 2024

    'Brussels Effect' Of EU's AI Act Is Uncertain, Legal Pros Say

    BigLaw attorneys advising international clients on the European Union's AI Act tell Law360 there are significant uncertainties over vague terms in the 458-page statute, how its steep eight-figure fines will be enforced, and whether it will set a new standard globally as part of the "Brussels effect."

  • June 05, 2024

    VA Asks To Appeal Refusal To Toss Systemic Discrimination Suit

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs wants a Connecticut federal judge to green light an immediate appeal of his decision declining to dismiss systemic discrimination claims by a Black Marine Corps veteran, saying the Federal Tort Claims Act is an improper route for relief.

  • June 05, 2024

    Synchrony Charges Were Unlawful 'Veteran Penalty,' Suit Says

    Synchrony Bank was hit with a proposed class action accusing it of promoting a misleading 0% interest rate for veterans and failing to disclose that the bank applies retroactive high interest rates on service members' outstanding balances when they leave duty.

  • June 05, 2024

    House Votes To Block Vets' Access To Gender-Affirming Care

    The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a $147.5 billion spending bill along mostly party lines funding military construction and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which would block veterans' access to gender-affirming care and which the White House has already threatened to veto.

  • June 05, 2024

    Del. Justices Uphold Chancery's Toss Of Auto Parts Deal Suit

    Delaware's Supreme Court has refused to reverse the Court of Chancery's 2023 dismissal of a stockholder suit accusing Chicago-based factory and automotive parts venture Distribution Solutions Group Inc. of failing to disclose conflicts surrounding and costs of a three-way merger in late 2021.

  • June 05, 2024

    New Rule Bars Self-Certification As Disabled, Vet-Owned Biz

    The U.S. Small Business Administration issued a rule Wednesday effectively barring federal contractors from self-certifying as service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, or SDVOSBs, amid ongoing concerns about fraud in veteran-owned contracting programs.

  • June 05, 2024

    Camp Lejeune Plaintiffs Must Specify Water Caused Illnesses

    The North Carolina federal court overseeing the Camp Lejeune contaminated-water litigation said Wednesday that former residents of the Marine base need to show that their illnesses were caused specifically and generally by exposure to the tainted water.

  • June 05, 2024

    Federal Judges Facing Scrutiny For Clerk-Hiring Boycotts

    The federal judiciary must take a look at its judges' hiring practices in the wake of some jurists' public refusal to hire students from certain law schools over on-campus political activity over the Israel-Hamas war, a nonprofit government watchdog said Wednesday.

  • June 05, 2024

    'Miracle Worker': Menendez's Wife Was Given New Car, Jurors Told

    U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez's wife received a $67,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible thanks to the efforts of two of the congressman's associates, one of whom she called a "miracle worker," jurors heard Wednesday in the government's bribery case in New York federal court.

  • June 04, 2024

    House DHS Budget Bill Takes Aim At Biden Priorities

    The House Appropriations Committee released a $64.8 billion funding bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for next fiscal year, with a bevy of priorities and policy riders aimed at countering or undoing Biden administration immigration priorities.

  • June 04, 2024

    DOD, Supplier End Long-Running Dispute Over $8B Food Deal

    The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals has tossed all remaining claims in a long-running dispute over Supreme Foodservice GmbH's roughly $8 billion contract to provide food to U.S. troops, after the company and the Defense Logistics Agency jointly agreed to end the case.

  • June 04, 2024

    Pharma Cos. Tell Justices Feds Support Remanding Terror Suit

    Pharmaceutical companies urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to heed the federal government's suggestion to throw out a D.C. Circuit ruling holding them potentially liable for allegedly financing terror attacks against U.S. servicemembers through contracts with the Iraqi government.

  • June 04, 2024

    Northrop Fights Retirees' 9th Circ. Bid For New Judge

    Northrop Grumman has asked the Ninth Circuit to keep a proposed ERISA class action in U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II's courtroom, arguing it would be inappropriate to accept the retirees' bid to move the case before a different judge after two appellate court panels overturned Judge Wright's previous dismissals in the matter.

  • June 04, 2024

    Garland Defends DOJ Integrity, Demurs On Justices' Ethics

    Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday defended the Department of Justice's independence, deflecting questions about ethics scandals at the U.S. Supreme Court and rejecting Donald Trump's "conspiracy theory" that federal prosecutors were the real force behind his recent conviction.

  • June 04, 2024

    White House Threatens Veto Over Policy Riders In VA Bill

    The White House has threatened to veto a $147.5 billion bill funding military construction and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, citing partisan policy proposals it said would harm minority groups and risk patient safety at VA medical facilities.

  • June 04, 2024

    Alaska Airlines Passengers Drop Boeing 737 Blowout Suit

    A group of passengers has agreed to drop claims against The Boeing Co., supplier Spirit AeroSystems and Alaska Airlines over the Jan. 5 mid-flight door plug blowout on a Boeing 737, according to a stipulated dismissal notice filed in Washington state court.

  • June 04, 2024

    Aircraft Engine Co. Aims To Sink Suit Of Its Former Attorney

    An aircraft engine manufacturer sued by its former attorney over what she said was a malicious lawsuit against her for leaving to represent plaintiffs suing the company has asked a federal judge to toss her Dragonetti Act case.

  • June 03, 2024

    Defense Cos. Seek Looser Export Controls In AUKUS Rule

    Defense companies and industry groups have urged the State Department to expand export licensing exemptions included in a proposed rule intended to help implement the AUKUS agreement or risk undermining the intent of the trilateral defense cooperation deal.

  • June 03, 2024

    IT Co. Says Blank Space Wrongly Cost It $10B Army Deal

    An Ohio information technology company urged the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to have the U.S. Army reinstate its eligibility for a pending $10 billion U.S. Army procurement, saying it shouldn't have been booted for an empty pricing spreadsheet cell.

  • June 03, 2024

    No Sanctions For 'Fraudulent' Signatures In 3M Earplug MDL

    A Florida federal judge has decided against sanctioning two law firms that signed documents in place of their clients but chastised their lawyers' "obviously improper" act, which could have cut their clients out of their share of the $6 billion settlement in the 3M combat earplugs multidistrict litigation.

  • June 03, 2024

    Ex-Official Says Menendez Sparked Fear Of Ag Industry 'Harm'

    A former U.S. Department of Agriculture official conceded under cross-examination Monday that a phone call he received from U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez about an acquaintance's certification business for meat exported to Egypt was like dozens he received from lawmakers advocating for their constituents, but he said it still left him worried for the industry. 

  • June 03, 2024

    Sens. Say DOD Risks Security With Reliance On Microsoft

    Lawmakers told the U.S. Department of Defense that they want information on a reported plan to require an expensive Microsoft software upgrade for department components, expressing concern the Pentagon will risk security by increasing dependence on the technology company.

  • May 31, 2024

    Judge Axes Class Claims In Navy Federal Discrimination Suit

    A Virginia federal judge has cut claims and denied class certification in a suit accusing Navy Federal Credit Union of racial lending discrimination, saying the statistical evidence from media reports does not establish intentional discrimination.

  • May 31, 2024

    Intelsat Worries Over Reg Fee Spike For FCC Space Bureau

    Satellite network provider Intelsat is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to slow down with fee increases for its new Space Bureau, telling the commission in a series of meetings that rate changes proposed in March would bring about massive hikes for the industry.

Expert Analysis

  • Tips For Contractors Preparing For Potential Gov't Shutdown

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    With elements of the Congress’ latest continuing resolution expiring on Jan. 19, companies that may be fatigued by preparing for potential shutdown after potential shutdown should consider the current political climate and take specific steps now, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024

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    Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Expect National Security Scrutiny Of Higher Ed To Continue

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    In 2023, the federal government significantly elevated the national security responsibilities of academic communities, so universities and research laboratories should take a more rigorous approach to research partnerships, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Must Put Officers On Alert

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    Recent government actions against FTX and other crypto companies have put a laser focus on corporate compliance failures, with added pressure on compliance officers — making the need for personal risk assessment particularly acute given today's novel anti-money laundering issues, say Poppy Alexander at Constantine Cannon and Caleb Hayes-Deats at MoloLamken.

  • What To Know About FCA Cybersecurity Enforcement

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    Now is a good time for practitioners, government contractors and potential relators to review recent developments in cybersecurity-related False Claims Act enforcement, and consider best practices for navigating this space in the new year, say Ellen London at London & Stout, and Li Yu and Molly Knobler at DiCello Levitt.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: South Africa

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    While South Africa has yet to mandate the reporting of nonfinancial and environmental, social, and corporate governance issues, policy documents and recent legislative developments are likely to have a material impact in the country's transition to a low-carbon economy and in meeting its international obligations, say Glynn Kent at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • 4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

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    As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.

  • What May Define Contract Disputes Act Jurisdiction In 2024

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    Now is a good time to reflect on how several recent decisions may have limited the government's ability to weaponize jurisdictional prerequisites under the Contract Disputes Act, and how this new direction may affect government contractors and practitioners filing CDA appeals in 2024, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

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    As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • The Year Ahead In Foreign Investment And National Security

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    In 2024, expect the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, already at the forefront of addressing national security threats, to increase monitoring and enforcement related to outbound investment, focus on supply chain resilience in nondefense sectors, and heighten oversight of agricultural transactions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

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    Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.

  • The Space Law And Policy Outlook For 2024

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    Expect significant movement in space law, regulation and policy in 2024, as Congress, the administration and independent federal agencies like the Federal Communications Commission address the increasingly congested, contested and competitive nature of space and the space industry, say Paul Stimers and Leighton Brown at Holland & Knight.

  • Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

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    Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.

  • The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

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    A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.

  • Inside Higher Education's New FCA Liability Challenges

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    As the educational sector expands its use of government funding, schools are at increased risk under the False Claims Act, but recent settlements offer valuable lessons about new theories of liability they may face and specific procedures to reduce their exposure, say James Zelenay and Jeremy Ochsenbein at Gibson Dunn.

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