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Government Contracts
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July 22, 2024
Claims Court Upholds JV's $15M Boiler Plant Contract
A Court of Federal Claims judge rejected a construction company's protest over a $14.7 million U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs contract for renovating a boiler plant at a VA medical center in Pennsylvania, saying the agency reasonably awarded the contract to a mentor-protégé joint venture based on "best value trade-off."
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July 22, 2024
Ex-Lobbyist Asks To Be Severed From Madigan RICO Case
The former Commonwealth Edison lobbyist on track to face a jury alongside former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan this fall asked a federal judge Friday to sever his corruption case from Madigan's, saying a joint trial would be unfair because Madigan's lawyers intend to act as "second prosecutors" against him.
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July 22, 2024
NY Judge Declares Migrant Challenge To Housing Policy Moot
A New York federal court swept aside asylum-seekers' challenge to county-level housing restrictions that they say were designed to bar them, agreeing with local officials that the case was moot after they issued new policies.
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July 22, 2024
CEOs Want To Separate Bribery Trial From Navy Admiral's
A pair of CEOs charged with bribing a retired four-star Navy admiral to potentially secure lucrative government contracts have asked a D.C. federal judge to sever their cases from the retired admiral's bribery trial, arguing that there's a "serious risk" they would be unfairly prejudiced by holding a joint trial.
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July 22, 2024
1st Circ. Hints At Higher Bar For Feds In Anti-Kickback Cases
The First Circuit on Monday questioned the government's assertion that Congress intended to broaden the standard for liability in False Claims Act kickback cases when it passed a key amendment in 2010.
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July 22, 2024
Sullivan, Freshfields Steer $905M Goodyear Off-Road Biz Sale
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer guided the $905 million sale of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s off-the-road tire business to Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. except for the part of that business providing off-road tires to the U.S. military and other defense entities, the companies announced Monday.
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July 22, 2024
Boston Fund Can't Duck SEC's Unregistered Dealer Case
A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday kept alive U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that Boston investment firm Auctus Fund violated securities laws by failing to register as a broker-dealer when harvesting deeply discounted shares of cash-strapped public companies through debt agreements.
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July 22, 2024
Ga. Dems Challenge 'Cronyism' Behind Fundraising Law
A special campaign finance committee created by Georgia Republicans three years ago to sidestep limits on political fundraising is in the crosshairs of a recent lawsuit filed by the state's Democratic Party, which alleges the law creates an "asymmetrical campaign contribution scheme" designed to protect incumbents.
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July 22, 2024
Bus Parts Co. To Pay Up To $4M To End Criminal Fraud Probe
French bus parts supplier CBM will pay up to about $4 million and enter into a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. government to end an investigation into an alleged scheme to pass off generic parts to U.S. transit authorities as brand-name parts, Manhattan federal prosecutors said Monday.
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July 22, 2024
NYC Says Migrant Busing Has Stopped Amid Border Curbs
New York City retreated from its pending motion in state court to block eight charter bus companies from contracting with Texas to transport migrants to the city, saying the busing has already stopped after the Biden administration implemented new border policies.
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July 19, 2024
Calif. Bar Backs Creating New Virtual Bar Exam To Cut Costs
The State Bar of California's Board of Trustees has signed off on plans to negotiate a potentially $8 million, five-year deal with Kaplan North America LLC to replace the Multistate Bar Exam with its own state exam that could be taken remotely, according to a statement issued Friday.
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July 19, 2024
Mich. Judge Axes Challenge To Student Loan Payment Freeze
A Michigan federal judge on Thursday tossed a challenge to the Biden administration's suspension of student loan payments during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the think tank that brought the suit lacked standing.
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July 19, 2024
SolarWinds' Ruling 'No Comfort' For Cybersecurity Leaders
Although a federal district court has struck down significant portions of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's data breach case against software developer SolarWinds Corp., attorneys say what remains of the lawsuit gives "no comfort" to chief information security officers hoping to avoid similar suits over statements about their company's cybersecurity practices.
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July 19, 2024
2nd Circ. Rejects Webuild Discovery Bid In Panama Arbitration
The Second Circuit on Friday affirmed a Manhattan federal judge's order that quashed a subpoena from Italian builder Webuild SPA to engineering firm WSP USA for use in an arbitration related to an expansion of the Panama Canal.
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July 19, 2024
NJ Towns Not Liable For Water Contaminants, Panel Rules
A panel of New Jersey state appeals court judges ruled Friday that municipalities charging for water service aren't in an implied contractual relationship with residents and thus can't be found in breach of contract for elevated contaminant levels in the water.
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July 19, 2024
Axon Says FTC Has 'No Reason' To Wade Into Suit
Axon urged a New Jersey federal judge Thursday to "give no weight" to a Federal Trade Commission amicus intervention into a proposed class action against the company, arguing that however much the FTC bristles at references to an abandoned merger case, that consternation isn't relevant to the instant suit.
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July 19, 2024
Regeneron Rips DOJ's FCA Suit As 'Divorced From Reality'
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. has told a Massachusetts federal judge that a False Claims Act suit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice claiming the company withheld information about a drug's average sales price was "divorced from reality" and the practice the government was complaining about was commonplace.
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July 18, 2024
DaVita To Pay $34M In Medicare Kickback Whistleblower Suit
Dialysis company DaVita will pay more than $34 million to settle a Medicare fraud case over alleged kickbacks doctors received in exchange for patient referrals, after a whistleblower from the company's C-suite came forward, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announced Thursday.
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July 18, 2024
Fed. Circ. OKs Navy Deal Despite Contractor's Labor Unrest
The Federal Circuit denied Thursday a contractor's protest bids for U.S. Navy aircraft services contracts at two European bases, rejecting arguments that the lower court didn't properly consider the winning contractor's past labor violations and that the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the so-called Chevron doctrine "upends" the underlying decision.
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July 18, 2024
GAO Refuses To Disturb $3.8B Air Force Contract Award
The U.S. Government Accountability Office backed the Air Force's decision to award a $3.85 billion contract for support services at a Tennessee base, rejecting a challenge lodged by a competing contractor, a decision made public Thursday showed.
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July 18, 2024
DOE Plans $861M Support For PR Solar, Storage Project
The U.S. Department of Energy on Thursday said it's conditionally committing to a loan guarantee of up to $861.3 million for two battery storage equipped solar farms and two standalone battery energy storage systems in Puerto Rico that will help the island meet its energy goals.
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July 18, 2024
More Novel Protests May Follow OTA Jurisdiction Ruling
A Court of Federal Claims decision asserting jurisdiction over certain disputes stemming from the U.S. government's authority to mimic commercial purchasing practices could open the door for more novel protests challenging the use of that authority.
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July 18, 2024
BAE Gets Wage Claims Cut From Engineer's Retaliation Suit
A former engineer for BAE Systems adequately alleged that it understood he was raising concerns about his overtime pay when it chose to fire him, a Maryland federal magistrate judge ruled, keeping alive the ex-worker's retaliation claim while cutting his wage claims against the U.S. Navy contractor.
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July 18, 2024
Ga. County Escapes Jailer Discrimination Suit
Troup County, Georgia, beat a retaliation and discrimination suit lodged by a former jail officer who had accused the county of allowing a chief deputy sheriff to allude to her being owned by someone in a slavery reference, according to a finding in federal court Wednesday.
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July 18, 2024
Term Extension For Ga. Utility Commish Unlawful, Suit Says
Georgia's Secretary of State was hit with a lawsuit Tuesday from a voter and two advocacy groups challenging a recent law that extended the terms of the state's utility regulatory commission while their elections were suspended by voting rights litigation.
Expert Analysis
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Bid Protest Spotlight: Unwitting Disclosure, Agency Deference
Roke Iko at MoFo examines two U.S. Court of Federal Claims decisions highlighting factors to consider before filing a protest alleging Procurement Integrity Act violations, and a decision from the U.S. Government Accountability Office about the capacity of an agency to interpret its own solicitation terms.
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Global Bribery Probes Are Complicating FCPA Compliance
The recent rise in collaboration between the U.S. Department of Justice and foreign authorities in bribery enforcement can not only affect companies' legal exposure as resolution approaches vary by country, but also the decision of when and whether to disclose Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations to the DOJ, say Samantha Badlam and Catherine Conroy at Ropes & Gray.
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Series
Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.
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A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System
As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.
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Pay-To-Play Deal Shows Need For Strong Compliance Policies
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, through its recent settlement with Wayzata, has indicated that it will continue stringent enforcement of the pay-to-play rule, so investment advisers should ensure strong compliance policies are in place to promptly address potential violations as the November elections approach, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Opinion
Feds' Biotech Enforcement Efforts Are Too Heavy-Handed
The U.S. Department of Justice's recent actions against biotech companies untether the Anti-Kickback Statute from its original legislative purpose, and threaten to stifle innovation and undermine patient quality of care, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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'Fat Leonard' Case Shows High Bar For Rescinding Guilty Plea
Prosecutors’ recent move in the “Fat Leonard” bribery case, supporting several defendants’ motions to withdraw their guilty pleas, is extremely unusual – and its contrast with other prosecutions demonstrates that the procedural safeguards at plea hearings are far from enough, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
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How New Rule Would Change CFIUS Enforcement Powers
Before the May 15 comment deadline, companies may want to weigh in on proposed regulatory changes to enforcement and mitigation tools at the disposal of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, including broadened subpoena powers, difficult new mitigation timelines and higher maximum penalties, say attorneys at Venable.
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Series
Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.
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Mid-2024 FCA Enforcement And Litigation Trends To Watch
Reviewing notable False Claims Act trends and enforcement efforts in the last year and a half reveals that healthcare is a key enforcement priority for the U.S. Department of Justice, and the road ahead may bring clarification on Anti-Kickback Statute causation and willfulness standards, along with increased focus on private equity, cybersecurity and self-disclosure, say attorneys at Epstein Becker.
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What 100 Federal Cases Suggest About Changes To Chevron
With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn or narrow its 40-year-old doctrine of Chevron deference, a review of 100 recent federal district court decisions confirm that changes to the Chevron framework will have broad ramifications — but the magnitude of the impact will depend on the details of the high court's ruling, say Kali Schellenberg and Jon Cochran at LeVan Stapleton.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
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.
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Series
Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
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.