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Government Contracts
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May 15, 2024
SolarWinds Says SEC's Cyber Breach Suit Goes Too Far
SolarWinds Corp. on Wednesday asked a Manhattan federal judge to throw out the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's suit accusing the enterprise software company of deceiving investors about its lax cybersecurity, which left it open to a Russian hacking campaign.
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May 15, 2024
Newman Wasn't At Fed. Circ. Conference, But She Was Invited
U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's absence from Tuesday's Federal Circuit Judicial Conference was not due to a lack of invitation, contrary to initial comments from her lawyer, but the law isn't explicit about whether a suspended judge legally could have been excluded.
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May 15, 2024
Flexibility In Info Security Policy May Add Compliance Burden
New federal guidance for contractors handling sensitive, but unclassified information could introduce confusion and compliance burdens if agencies implement security controls without consulting contractors.
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May 15, 2024
House Panel Weighs Baltimore Bridge Rebuilding Costs
Rebuilding Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge may cost up to $1.9 billion and take at least four years, as accident investigators continue to examine how a cargo ship slammed into the bridge in March and knocked it down, officials told a House panel Wednesday.
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May 15, 2024
Media Coverage Not Enough To Move Flint Water Case
A water engineering company accused by the Michigan attorney general of prolonging Flint residents' lead exposure cannot move its eventual trial out of the region, a Michigan state judge ruled Wednesday, saying the company could not assume the entire jury pool was biased.
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May 15, 2024
Moving Coalition Urges GAO To Probe $20B DOD Moving Deal
Over 250 moving industry members are urging the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate a multibillion-dollar contract having a single company manage moving services for the U.S. Department of Defense, saying the deal might not be as achievable as hoped.
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May 15, 2024
House-Passed FAA Reauthorization Bill Now Heads To Biden
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved multiyear legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration's safety and airport improvement programs, sending to President Joe Biden a package that would hire more air traffic controllers and enhance passenger protections amid high-profile aviation industry mishaps.
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May 15, 2024
Feds Tell Justices $3.1B Satellite Deal Isn't Reviewable
The Biden administration has urged the U.S. Supreme Court against reviewing an order dismissing claims that a contractor was pushed out of a $3.1 billion military satellite deal, saying the transaction was a sovereign action shielded from court review.
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May 15, 2024
DC Judge Urged To Halt Offshore Wind Project Construction
Advocacy groups and a cohort of Rhode Island residents want a D.C. federal judge to halt construction on a wind farm off the coast of the Ocean State while they press claims that the federal government violated myriad environmental laws in approving the project.
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May 14, 2024
The PREP Immunity Question Won't Be Decided Yet
The Federal Circuit opted Tuesday not to say whether a 2005 public health law provides any legal immunity in a patent dispute between rival manufacturers of COVID-19 test swabs, leaving the thorny question unanswered.
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May 14, 2024
Vein Tech Maker Faces Investor Suit Over DOJ Kickback Probe
Vein disease device maker Inari Medical Inc. and three of its current and former executives face a proposed investor class action over claims that the company's share price fell after it disclosed an investigation into its compliance with federal anti-kickback laws.
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May 14, 2024
Boeing Can't Beat Rival's Trade Secrets Claim, 11th Circ. Hints
Counsel for Boeing attempted to convince the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday that a rival aircraft company's bid to claim unjust enrichment amid a long-running U.S. Air Force contract fight should be barred by contract language that waived claims for damages stemming from Boeing's allegedly underhanded bidding tactics.
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May 14, 2024
NIST Finalizes Revised Security Guidelines For Sensitive Info
The National Institute of Standards and Technology on Tuesday released a final version of revised guidelines for contractors and other entities who handle sensitive unclassified federal information, intended to clarify and streamline those requirements.
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May 14, 2024
Aerospace Co. Hit With $450M Engine Parts Antitrust Suit
RTX Corp. subsidiary Pratt & Whitney got hit with a $450 million antitrust lawsuit by a parts supplier who says the company and its Canadian arm are using illegal agreements to monopolize the aftermarket supply of their PT6 and PW100 turboprop engine components.
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May 14, 2024
Judge Trims More From Prison Phone Co.'s Antitrust Suit
Prison telephone service provider Global Tel Link and a Pennsylvania county now have one fewer claim to face in a lawsuit accusing them of sinking a rival company's chance at winning a contract with the county, after a federal court trimmed away yet another claim.
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May 14, 2024
Feds Dodge Salt Lake City's Suit Over $1B Gondola Plan
A Utah federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the federal government from a Salt Lake City lawsuit challenging federal approvals of a $1 billion plan to address traffic congestion by building the world's longest gondola.
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May 14, 2024
NY Court System Immune To Spanish-Speaker's Bias Case
The New York Unified Court System can't be sued in federal court by a Spanish speaker whose limited English language skills allegedly barred him from a program that could have reduced a drug offense's severity, the New York federal court has ruled.
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May 14, 2024
Keep It Short, And Other Advice From Fed. Circ. Judges
Six Federal Circuit judges counseled a packed room of attorneys on Tuesday about the most common ways to ruin their own cases, such as talking too much at oral argument, adding additional citations and attacking judges or opposing counsel.
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May 14, 2024
Pa. Justices Vexed By DA Funding In Kleinbard Bill Dispute
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court seemed to want more information Tuesday about the source of the former Lancaster County district attorney's "program funds" before wading into whether the DA had the discretion to spend those funds on Kleinbard LLC's legal fees rather than asking his county commissioners for approval.
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May 13, 2024
Kabbage Inks 2 FCA Deals With Feds Totaling $120M
Bankrupt online lender Kabbage Inc. has agreed to pay $120 million in two separate deals to resolve allegations it submitted thousands of false claims for loan forgiveness and operated without adequate fraud controls in place, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.
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May 13, 2024
Wall Fraud Conviction Affirmed Despite Juror-Prosecutor Tie
The Second Circuit on Monday affirmed the conviction of a Colorado man found to have siphoned online donations meant to fund a Southern border wall, saying the fact that a federal prosecutor had mentored a juror's daughter didn't warrant vacating the conviction.
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May 13, 2024
Construction Co. Says Guatemala Can't Exit $31M Award Suit
A construction and engineering firm has asked a D.C. federal court not to toss its litigation to enforce $31 million in arbitral awards against Guatemala that arose from unpaid public works contracts, saying local courts already denied the country's claim the awards violate domestic law.
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May 13, 2024
Watchdog Nixes Bidder's Protest To Low $159M Air Force Deal
The U.S. Government Accountability Office said an aviation company couldn't question the feasibility of a rival's $159 million U.S. Air Force flight training contract, when the service branch never indicated it would check if bidders' prices were realistic.
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May 13, 2024
E-Rate Requests Aren't FCA Claims, Law Group Tells Justices
The Washington Legal Foundation urged the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether reimbursement requests for the Federal Communications Commission's E-Rate program are "claims" under the False Claims Act, arguing that a Seventh Circuit ruling that answered in the affirmative threatens wide-ranging consequences beyond the E-Rate program.
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May 13, 2024
Co. Says Typo Wrongly Cost It Shot At $10B Army IT Deal
An information technology firm has urged the Court of Federal Claims to restore its eligibility for a pending $10 billion U.S. Army IT hardware procurement, saying the Army wrongly excluded the company for one missing word in its proposal.
Expert Analysis
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2 FCPA Settlements Illuminate Self-Disclosure, Disgorgement
Two of last year’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlements — with biomedical company Lifecore and mining company Corsa Coal — suggest that the government will be much more flexible in negotiating disgorgement amounts if an entity voluntarily self-discloses misconduct, say Michael Gilbert and Lucas Amodio at Sheppard Mullin.
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Opinion
Anti-Kickback Statute Does Not Require But-For Causation
A proper interpretation of the Anti-Kickback Statute clearly indicates that but-for causation is not required for False Claims Act Liability, and courts that hold otherwise will make it significantly easier for fraudsters to avoid accountability, says Kenneth Capesius at Baron & Budd.
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5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024
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.
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Lessons From DOJ's Handling Of Rare Medicare Fraud Case
The U.S. Department of Justice's recent indictment against HealthSun sheds light on the relatively rare circumstances in which the agency may pursue criminal charges for fraud involving Medicare Advantage, but its subsequent decision not to prosecute shows that compliance efforts can mitigate penalties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Growing Green Tech Demand Spells Trouble For Groundwater
Increasing demand for green technology is depleting the groundwater reserves used to extract and process the necessary minerals, making a fundamental shift toward more sustainable water use practices necessary at both the state and federal levels, says Sarah Mangelsdorf at Goldberg Segalla.
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What To Know About FCA Cybersecurity Enforcement
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.
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4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year
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.
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What May Define Contract Disputes Act Jurisdiction In 2024
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.
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What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like
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.
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4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News
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.
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The Space Law And Policy Outlook For 2024
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.
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Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends
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.
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The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023
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.
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Inside Higher Education's New FCA Liability Challenges
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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HHS Advisory Highlights Free Product Inducement Risks
A recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advisory opinion highlights concerns that valuable free products and other inducements may influence patients and providers to choose one manufacturer’s product over another, notwithstanding that such free healthcare products may be a benefit, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.