Aerospace & Defense

  • January 13, 2025

    Fla. Court OKs $6B Settlement Data Release In 3M's UK Case

    A Florida federal court has authorized the release of certain information related to 3M's $6 billion multidistrict litigation settlement ending claims over allegedly faulty combat earplugs to a London arbitral tribunal, which was convened to determine if insurer AIG Europe Ltd. is refusing to pay its share of the deal.

  • January 13, 2025

    Bannon Must Explain Atty Swap As NY Wall Fraud Trial Looms

    A New York state judge on Monday ordered Steve Bannon to appear in court to explain why he switched counsel a month before he faces trial on charges of defrauding donors to a fundraiser to build a U.S. southern border wall.

  • January 13, 2025

    Shift4 To Pay SEC $750K For Undisclosed Family Payments

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said payment processing firm Shift4 Payments Inc. will pay $750,000 to settle allegations it failed to report over $4 million in payments it made to immediate family members of the company's executives and directors.

  • January 13, 2025

    Justices Won't Review 11th Circ.'s Cancer Cluster Decision

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it won't review the Eleventh Circuit's affirmation of a favorable jury verdict for defense contractor Pratt & Whitney, which was found to have failed to exercise reasonable care when disposing radioactive materials, but also freed it from liability for the cancer cases that emerged in a Florida neighborhood.

  • January 13, 2025

    GPS Backup Would Serve Larger 'Ecosystem,' FCC Told

    A public safety tech company is throwing its weight behind a plan to license a chunk of the lower 900 megahertz band to launch a network that would back up the Global Positioning System, calling on the Federal Communications Commission to "advance this critical initiative."

  • January 13, 2025

    White House Sets Framework For AI Technology Exports

    The Biden administration on Monday took its latest step toward securing artificial intelligence technology, issuing a rule aimed at easing the sale of U.S.-made chips and models to allied countries while restricting access to foreign adversaries that it said could use the systems to threaten national security.

  • January 13, 2025

    Special Counsel's Report On Trump's DC Case Released

    With a Florida federal judge's permission on Monday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland released the first volume of former special counsel Jack Smith's report regarding his now-abandoned election-interference case against Donald Trump in D.C.

  • January 13, 2025

    Army Can Sole-Source $990M 'Critical Support' Deal

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has rejected a protest over a sole-source $990 million U.S. Army loitering munitions contract, saying the Army properly used temporary authority meant to provide critical support for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel to award the deal.

  • January 13, 2025

    Wife Of Ex-Sen. Menendez Can't Delay Bribery Trial

    Nadine Menendez, former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's wife, has lost her bid to postpone her Feb. 5 trial on bribery charges, as a Manhattan federal judge rejected her contention that her husband's sentencing on similar charges just a week prior would taint her jury.

  • January 13, 2025

    CFIUS Grants Nippon, US Steel Extension To Abandon Deal

    The government committee that reviewed Nippon Steel's proposed $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel before President Joe Biden blocked the deal earlier this month has granted an extension until June for the companies to abandon the deal, according to a U.S. Steel securities filing Monday.

  • January 13, 2025

    Justices Mull Petition Over FSIA Terrorism Exception

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it wanted the U.S.'s perspective as it considers a case relating to whether the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act's terrorism exception extends jurisdiction to claims arising from a terrorist attack that seriously injures but does not kill its intended victims.

  • January 13, 2025

    Justices Won't Hear Farm's Bid To Retake Denver Airport Land

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Colorado farm company's petition arguing Denver can't hold onto land originally seized for the Denver International Airport now that the city plans to build a private commercial complex on the property.

  • January 10, 2025

    4 Lessons For Contractors From The Bitmanagement Saga

    A software company's damages award of just $150,000 after years of litigation over the U.S. Navy violating a licensing deal offers several lessons for federal software contractors about carefully negotiating contractual terms and making sure they can adequately enforce those terms.

  • January 10, 2025

    Microsoft Pushes To Thwart 'Scheme' To Bypass AI Security

    A Virginia federal judge has authorized Microsoft Corp. to seize a website that the tech giant alleges has been instrumental to a "sophisticated scheme" by foreign-based cybercriminals to circumvent safety guardrails built into artificial intelligence services in order to create offensive and harmful content, according to court filings made public Friday. 

  • January 10, 2025

    CACI Denied New Trial Over Abu Ghraib Torture

    The defense contractor found liable for conspiring with the U.S. military to torture inmates at the Abu Ghraib military prison said it would appeal to the Fourth Circuit after a Virginia federal judge Friday ruled the company won't get a third crack at trial.

  • January 10, 2025

    Texas High Court Flips Course To Hear Boeing Back Pay Suit

    The Texas Supreme Court changed course Friday in a case over the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association's attempts to recover lost wages from The Boeing Co. after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded Boeing's 737 Max plane in 2019, granting a motion for rehearing.

  • January 10, 2025

    FAR Council Pulls Proposed GHG Emissions Disclosure Rule

    The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council on Friday withdrew a pending rule that aimed to require "major" federal contractors to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and to set emissions reduction targets, saying the Biden administration lacks sufficient time to finalize the proposal.

  • January 10, 2025

    The Firefighting Foam 'Forever Chemicals' MDL: A Snapshot

    A round of big settlements was recently completed seven years into a sprawling multidistrict litigation over chemical companies' liability for alleged harms caused by exposure to so-called forever chemicals in firefighting foam. Here, Law360 examines what’s still at stake in the ongoing litigation.

  • January 10, 2025

    Lawyer Seeks New Trial Against Blank Rome Attorneys

    A lawyer who lost her malicious-litigation case against Blank Rome LLP attorneys and an aviation company in Philadelphia last month has moved for a new trial in Pennsylvania federal court, citing what she called "numerous errors committed by the district court" in her first trial.

  • January 10, 2025

    Feds Ask 15 Years For Menendez In Case Of 'Historical Rarity'

    Prosecutors have asked a Manhattan federal judge to sentence former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez to at least 15 years in prison after he was convicted of taking bribes from three New Jersey business executives in exchange for political favors.

  • January 09, 2025

    Other Bidders Can Intervene In Army Contract Protest

    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims rejected an effort by Red River Science & Technology LLC to stop other bidders from intervening in its protest over the U.S. Army's decision to reopen contract-related discussions.

  • January 09, 2025

    Plane Crash Victims Tell NC Panel To Toss Engine Co. Appeal

    The estates of four plane crash victims have asked the North Carolina state appeals court to throw out what they characterize as a last-ditch effort by defense giant Avco Corp. and its subsidiary Lycoming Engines to avoid going to trial, saying the appeal is two years too late.

  • January 09, 2025

    DOD Says Chinese Military Co. Listing For Lidar Firm Is Legit

    The U.S. Department of Defense is urging a D.C. federal judge to back its decision to include Shanghai-based lidar manufacturer Hesai Technology Co. Ltd. on a list of "Chinese military companies," a decision the company has called "riddled with sloppy mistakes."

  • January 09, 2025

    US Steel And Nippon's Lawsuit Seen As 'Hail Mary' Attempt

    President Joe Biden may not have put forth an airtight national security argument for blocking Nippon Steel's planned acquisition of U.S. Steel, but the companies' subsequent lawsuit is still highly unlikely to earn them another chance at making the deal happen, according to legal experts. 

  • January 09, 2025

    Menendez Sentencing Won't Taint Wife's Trial, Gov't Says

    New York federal prosecutors are urging a Manhattan federal judge to reject Nadine Menendez's request for a three-month delay in her trial on bribery charges, saying that the sentencing of her husband, former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, on similar charges will not taint the jury pool for her trial.

Expert Analysis

  • How Contractors Can Prep For DOD Cybersecurity Rule

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    The proverbial clock is ticking for defense contractors and subcontractors to strengthen their compliance posture in preparation for the rollout of the highly anticipated Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, so those affected should analyze their existing security standards and take proactive steps to fill in any significant gaps, say Beth Waller and Patrick Austin at Woods Rogers.

  • Avoiding Legal Ethics Landmines In Preindictment Meetings

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    U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's recent bribery conviction included obstruction charges based on his former lawyer's preindictment presentation to prosecutors, highlighting valuable lessons on the legal ethics rules implicated in these kinds of defense presentations, say Steve Miller and Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Preparing For Increased Scrutiny Of Tech Supply Chains

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    The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent action prohibiting sales of a Russia-based technology company's products in the U.S. is the first determination under the information technology supply chain rule, and signals plans to increase enforcement of protections that target companies in designated foreign adversary jurisdictions, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Boeing Plea Deal Is A Mixed Bag, Providing Lessons For Cos.

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    The plea deal for conspiracy to defraud regulators that Boeing has tentatively agreed to will, on the one hand, probably help the company avoid further reputational damage, but also demonstrates to companies that deferred prosecution agreements have real teeth, and that noncompliance with DPA terms can be costly, says Edmund Vickers at Red Lion Chambers.

  • Expect CFPB To Enforce Warning Against 'Coercive' Fine Print

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    The recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warning against unenforceable terms "deceptively" slipped into the fine print of contracts will likely be challenged in court, but until then, companies should expect the agency to treat its guidance as law and must carefully scrutinize their consumer contracts, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • Series

    After Chevron: A Sea Change For Maritime Sector

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    The shipping industry has often looked to the courts for key agency decisions affecting maritime interests, but after the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright ruling, stakeholders may revisit important industry questions and coordinate to bring appropriate challenges and shape rulemaking, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Mitigating Risks Amid 10-Year Sanctions Enforcement Window

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    In response to recent legislation, which doubles the statute of limitations for actions related to certain U.S. sanctions and provides regulators greater opportunity to investigate possible violations, companies should take specific steps to account for the increased civil and criminal enforcement risk, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Opinion

    States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions

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    Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • Series

    Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

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