Government Contracts

  • June 18, 2024

    4th Circ. Says Filmmaker Has Right To Sealed Court Docs

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday revived a documentary filmmaker's bid to access sealed documents from a False Claims Act suit against student loan providers, finding he has a First Amendment right to the material and the parties must prove if the seal is warranted.

  • June 18, 2024

    GAO Rejects Claim CBP Rigged Migrant Facility Contract Bids

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office on Monday denied a vendor's protest challenging the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's solicitation seeking vendors to provide an immigrant detention facility in North Eagle Pass, Texas, rejecting the protester's allegations that the solicitation process was rigged to unfairly favor an incumbent contractor.

  • June 18, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Vax Mandate Case Amid Judge DQ Bid

    In a nonprecedential opinion, the Ninth Circuit has refused to restore a COVID vaccine mandate suit brought by federal workers and contractors who also sought to disqualify a judge they believed was conflicted, finding the workers lacked standing because they named officials who cannot reinstate them rather than their employers.

  • June 17, 2024

    Teva, DOJ Signal Key Kickback Case May Fizzle At 1st Circ.

    A U.S. Department of Justice kickback case against Teva Pharmaceuticals — closely watched by False Claims Act lawyers because of its multibillion-dollar stakes and its link to a major circuit split — is poised for settlement, according to a new First Circuit filing ahead of eagerly awaited oral arguments.

  • June 17, 2024

    Amentum Rebuffs Air Force's $350K Damages For Staffing Fight

    Amentum Services Inc. challenged the U.S. Air Force's efforts to claim $350,000 in damages over a staffing issue for a weapons maintenance deal, telling the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that the contract bars the damages claim.

  • June 17, 2024

    Ex-Stimwave CEO Gets 6 Years For Dummy Implant Scheme

    The founder and former CEO of Stimwave Technologies was sentenced to six years in prison Monday after tearfully proclaiming her innocence to healthcare fraud charges, with a Manhattan federal judge saying it's "sad" the defendant doesn't recognize the harm she inflicted by selling nonfunctional pain management device components.

  • June 17, 2024

    Ginnie Mae, HUD Want Bank's Loan Lien Suit Sent To Dallas

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Ginnie Mae pushed for the transfer of Texas Capital Bank's suit in Texas federal court over a vacated loan lien, arguing that the bank is contractually required to file its suit in a different division within the same district.

  • June 17, 2024

    Consulting Firms To Pay $11.3M Over Rent Help Site Breach

    A consulting firm and its subcontractor have agreed to pay $11.3 million to resolve a False Claims Act suit alleging that they allowed the personal data of low-income New Yorkers to be compromised while operating a pandemic-era rental assistance program website.

  • June 17, 2024

    L3Harris Rips Moog's Counterclaims In $78M Contract Suit

    L3Harris Technologies Inc. urged a Florida federal court Friday to throw out breach of contract counterclaims from fellow defense contractor Moog Inc., which it has accused of failing to timely deliver critical satellite parts under several subcontracts worth $77.9 million.

  • June 17, 2024

    Mass. Dentist Indicted In Alleged $2M Medicaid Fraud

    A Massachusetts dentist and her practice have been charged with fraudulently billing the state's Medicaid program, MassHealth, more than $2 million for services that were never provided.

  • June 17, 2024

    NJ Power Broker, Firm CEO Brother Accused Of Racketeering

    Powerful New Jersey businessman George E. Norcross III and his brother who is the chief executive officer of law firm Parker McCay have been criminally charged alongside others in a scheme to acquire waterfront property in the distressed city of Camden using threats of economic and reputational harm.

  • June 17, 2024

    Justices To Decide If False Claims Act Applies To E-Rate

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review whether reimbursement requests made to the Federal Communications Commission's E-rate program for schools and libraries are "claims" under the False Claims Act.

  • June 17, 2024

    Justices Will Hear Philly Bridge Project Fraud Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation contractor's false promise to give a certain share of its business to minority-owned subcontractors rises to the level of depriving the state agency of property, the court announced Monday.

  • June 17, 2024

    Justices Reject Dispute Over $3.1B South Korean Military Deal

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to consider the scope of commercial activities in a case brought by a brokerage firm fighting the loss of a $3.1 billion South Korean military satellite deal.

  • June 14, 2024

    Fla. Court Says Navy Vet Can Sue CNN For Punitive Damages

    A Florida state appellate court has ruled that a Navy veteran turned private contractor can include punitive damages in his defamation lawsuit against CNN, saying he made a "sufficient preliminary evidentiary showing" of malice over the network's reporting on evacuating citizens of Afghanistan in 2021.

  • June 14, 2024

    Utah Gov. And Land Trust Beat Tribe's Bidding Suit, For Now

    A federal judge dismissed claims against Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, several state officials and its trust lands administration in a tribe's challenge accusing them of spinning a racist bidding scheme to prevent it from winning a land auction to purchase land just outside its reservation.

  • June 14, 2024

    Janssen Hit With $150M Verdict In HIV Drug False Claims Suit

    A New Jersey federal jury hit Janssen with a $150 million False Claims Act verdict in a 12-year-old whistleblower suit, finding that the drugmaker violated the federal law as well as 27 related state FCA statutes by illegally profiting from the off-label marketing of two popular Janssen HIV medications.

  • June 14, 2024

    Judge Grants New Trial In Abu Ghraib Torture Liability Case

    A Virginia federal judge on Friday granted a new trial to victims of torture at the Abu Ghraib military prison in Iraq who have accused a CACI International unit of aiding and abetting their ordeal, after a jury deadlocked in the case.

  • June 14, 2024

    NJ Officials Stiffed Transit Contractor Over Politics, AG Says

    Two board members of the South Jersey Transportation Authority have been charged for their role in allegedly blocking payments to a contractor as political retribution in a feud between a Democratic Party leader and a county commissioner, the New Jersey attorney general announced Friday.

  • June 14, 2024

    FAA Probes Fake Titanium Docs From Boeing Supplier

    The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that it's investigating whether certain Boeing Co. jets were manufactured with titanium components that may have been sold to the plane maker with falsified authenticity documents.

  • June 14, 2024

    Colo. Town Says It Took Resort Co.'s Land To Protect Sheep

    A Colorado town has told a state appeals court it was justified in condemning and taking over local land that was owned by The Vail Corp. because the town needed to preserve wildlife space for a bighorn sheep herd.

  • June 14, 2024

    Political Speech Groups Challenge NJ Judicial Privacy Case

    Two voting-integrity groups moved Friday to dismiss federal claims brought against them under New Jersey's Daniel's Law on the grounds that their business of publishing voter registration information is political speech protected by the First Amendment and federal voting rights laws.

  • June 14, 2024

    House Passes $884B Defense Bill For 2025

    The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday passed an $883.7 billion defense policy and budget bill in a mostly party-line vote after adopting several contentious amendments related to climate change, abortion and diversity programs.

  • June 13, 2024

    Tribal Casino Tells 7th Circ. Ill. City Rigged Proposal Votes

    A proposed tribal casino has asked the Seventh Circuit to undo a lower court ruling that found Waukegan, Ill., did not intentionally discriminate against it when the city chose three other competitors to operate casinos, saying the city ran a rigged review process.

  • June 13, 2024

    Telecom Says Gov't Switching Sides In Dish Suit Is 'Bad Faith'

    Vermont National Telephone Co. is fighting to preserve its false claim suit against Dish Network and others in the face of a dismissal bid from the federal government, arguing in a newly public filing in D.C. federal court that the government has provided no good reason for its "bad faith" change of heart.

Expert Analysis

  • Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert

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    As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Series

    Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic

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    Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Unpacking The Interim Vet-Owned Small Biz Verification Rule

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    Government contractors that intend to bid for service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-aside contracts should immediately consider the potential impacts of a recently issued rule that specifies how contracting officers will verify that they have certified their status, say Derek Mullins and Beth Gotthelf at Butzel.

  • The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals

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    Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.

  • McKesson May Change How AKS-Based FCA Claims Are Pled

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    The Second Circuit’s analysis in U.S. v. McKesson, an Anti-Kickback Statute-based False Claims Act case, provides guidance for both relators and defendants parsing scienter-related allegations, say Li Yu at Dicello Levitt, Ellen London at London & Stout, and Erica Hitchings at Whistleblower Law.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Opinion

    Cyber Regulators Should Rely On Existing Sources Cautiously

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    New incident reporting rules proposed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency illustrate how the use of definitions, standards and approaches from existing sources can create a complex patchwork of regulations, demonstrating that it is essential for agencies to be clear about expectations and not create unnecessary confusion, says Megan Brown at Wiley.

  • DOE Funding And Cargo Preference Compliance: Key Points

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    Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. Department of Energy will disburse more than $62 billion in financing for innovative energy projects — and recipients must understand their legal obligations related to cargo preference, so they can develop compliance strategies as close to project inception as possible, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • Tips For Balanced Board Oversight After A Cyberincident

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's cybersecurity disclosure rules, as well as recent regulatory enforcement actions bringing board governance under scrutiny, continue to push boards toward active engagement in relation to their cyber-oversight role, despite it being unclear what a board's level of involvement should be, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Breaking Down DOJ's Individual Self-Disclosure Pilot Program

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s recently announced pilot program aims to incentivize individuals to voluntarily self-disclose corporate misconduct they were personally involved in, complementing a new whistleblower pilot program for individuals not involved in misconduct as well as the government's broader corporate enforcement approach, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • How To Prepare As Employee Data Reporting Deadlines Near

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    As filing deadlines approach, government contractors and private companies alike should familiarize themselves with recent changes to federal and California employee data reporting requirements and think strategically about registration of affirmative action plans to minimize the risk of being audited, say Christopher Durham and Zev Grumet-Morris at Duane Morris.

  • Why Timely Gov't Contractor Registration Renewal Is Key

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    The U.S. Government Accountability Office's recent decision in TLS Joint Venture makes clear that a lapse in System for Award Management registration, no matter how brief, renders a government contractor ineligible for a negotiated procurement, so submit renewals with plenty of time to spare, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Inside OMB's Update On Race And Ethnicity Data Collection

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    The Office of Management and Budget's new guidelines for agency collection of data on race and ethnicity reflect societal changes and the concerns of certain demographics, but implementation may be significantly burdensome for agencies and employers, say Joanna Colosimo and Bill Osterndorf at DCI Consulting.

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