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Government Contracts
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September 12, 2024
Medical Abuse Of DHS Detainees Suits Head To Mediation
Two cases brought by immigrant women alleging they underwent invasive, unnecessary medical procedures while in federal custody were sent to mediation Wednesday.
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September 12, 2024
Faegre Drinker Adds White Collar Trio From Greenberg Traurig
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP is building out its white collar team with former veteran prosecutors, announcing Wednesday it had added two partners and an associate from Greenberg Traurig LLP who will bolster its San Francisco and Philadelphia offices
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September 12, 2024
Navient Agrees To Pay $120M To End CFPB Student Loan Case
Navient Corp. would be barred from servicing federal student loans and required to pay $120 million to settle allegations related to its student lending practices under a proposed settlement the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Thursday.
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September 11, 2024
Litigation Spending To Rise As Cases Grow More Aggressive
A substantial number of large companies are expecting to increase their litigation spending by double digits next year in the face of more complex and hard-fought cases — and they are more open to bringing in new legal talent to navigate the matters, according to a report released Thursday.
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September 11, 2024
Gov't Spent $236B In Fraud And Improper Payments In 2023
Federal agencies made $236 billion in improper payments in fiscal 2023, a drop of about $11 billion from the prior year, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
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September 11, 2024
Department Of Homeland Security's Top Lawyer Steps Down
The Department of Homeland Security's top lawyer has resigned from his position in the administration, according to a LinkedIn post.
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September 11, 2024
Holland & Knight Adds Gov't Contracts Pros In Virginia, NY
Holland & Knight LLP has bolstered its government contracts bench with a pair of recent partner hires, adding attorneys to both its Virginia and New York offices.
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September 10, 2024
Biden Says He'd Veto Proposed GOP Continuing Resolution
President Biden said Monday that he would veto House Republicans' proposed continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025, asserting that the funding measure amounts to "brinksmanship" and would "place agencies at insufficiently low levels — both for defense and non-defense — for a full six months."
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September 10, 2024
Ex-Conn. Town Atty Slams Official's Defamation Suit Defense
The former attorney for Newington, Connecticut, and the town's tax assessor bickered over whether the latter's allegedly defamatory sentiments linked to now-dismissed ethics complaints were made publicly, with the lawyer insisting the statements were made to select groups of individuals and therefore weren't motivated by concern for the municipality's citizens.
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September 10, 2024
DeSantis Blasts Mass. Suit Over Martha's Vineyard Flights
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shouldn't have to fight "conspiracy theory" claims in Massachusetts over whether the Sunshine State tricked migrants into boarding flights to Martha's Vineyard, the governor said in a sweeping dismissal bid.
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September 10, 2024
John Deere Will Pay SEC $10M To End Thai Bribes Probe
Deere & Co. has agreed to pay nearly $10 million to end an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission into bribes paid by executives at a Thai subsidiary that netted the heavy equipment maker millions in contracts with the Thai government and at least one private company.
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September 10, 2024
Meet The Lawyers Tapped To Defend In Glencore Bribery Case
Six former Glencore employees, including the commodity giant's billionaire former head of oil, who have been charged with bribery by the Serious Fraud Office, have tapped an all-star list of the U.K.'s most experienced trial solicitors and barristers with a track record of prevailing against the white-collar agency.
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September 09, 2024
Army Corps Wants Border Fence Deal Rating Dispute Tossed
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has urged the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to dismiss a suit alleging it gave an unfairly low performance rating to a border fence construction contractor on a $789 million deal, arguing the rating was fair and reasonable.
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September 09, 2024
Wash. Ends First Inspection Effort Against GEO Group
Washington State has dropped its original bid to force private prison operator The GEO Group to allow its health agency to conduct spot inspections at an immigrant detention facility, after it launched a new suit alleging officials had been blocked from entering.
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September 09, 2024
Siemens To Build $60M Bullet Train Production Facility In NY
Siemens Mobility will build a $60 million bullet train production facility in Horseheads, New York, that is set to start operating in 2026, according to an official announcement Monday.
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September 09, 2024
House OKs Bill To Bar Contracts With Chinese Biotech Cos.
Driven by concerns about U.S. genetic data being shared with the Chinese government, House lawmakers passed a bill on Monday to bar federal agencies from buying certain biotechnology linked to the Chinese government or from contracting with firms that use those products.
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September 09, 2024
Biotech Execs Face Investor Suit Over Medicare Claims
Executives and directors of biopharmaceutical company Ardelyx have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit in Massachusetts federal court alleging the company misled investors over its intentions and ability to apply for a Medicare reimbursement program for its kidney disease treatment.
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September 09, 2024
Sentencing Of Ex-Ecuador Official Delayed By Late Gov't Filing
A frustrated Florida federal judge on Monday pushed back the sentencing of Ecuador's ex-comptroller — who was convicted of laundering more than $12 million in bribes — after admonishing the government for an "inexplicably and undeniably late" forfeiture motion filed at 4 p.m. Friday.
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September 09, 2024
Ex-NYC School Official Gets 2 Years For Bribery Scheme
A former official in New York City's education system was sentenced in federal court Monday to two years in prison, while three others accused of conspiring with him also got prison time, after being convicted of taking bribes to help the co-defendants sell substandard foods to city schools.
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September 09, 2024
Baltimore Strikes $80M Opioid Settlement With Teva
Teva Pharmaceuticals will pay Baltimore $80 million to resolve claims that the company inflamed the city's opioid crisis, the city of Baltimore announced Monday ahead of a trial slated to begin next week against the remaining defendants in the Maryland state court litigation.
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September 09, 2024
DOJ Says Judge Missing 'Egregious' Slur In Race Bias Suit
A Georgia federal judge ignored crucial context and overlooked the "egregious nature" of a racial slur leveled at a Black worker when recommending that a race bias suit brought against a Georgia county by the federal government be thrown out, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
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September 09, 2024
Security Contractor Says It's Owed $3.6M In Worker Credits
A government contractor sued the U.S. for a nearly $3.6 million tax refund in Maryland federal court, claiming the Internal Revenue Service hasn't responded to its request for pandemic-era employee retention credits for the first three quarters of 2021.
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September 06, 2024
Gov't Asks Fed. Circ. To Rehear AI Deal Dispute
The federal government is urging the Federal Circuit to revisit a high-profile decision reviving an artificial intelligence company's protest over its exclusion from a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency procurement, saying the ruling wrongly expanded the Court of Federal Claims' bid protest jurisdiction.
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September 06, 2024
DC Circ. Could Revive Energy Co.'s $1.1B Angola Suit
The D.C. Circuit appeared open on Friday to reviving an energy company's lawsuit against Angola over $1.1 billion worth of nixed power plant contracts, as a three-judge panel considered during a hearing whether Aenergy SA could collect any potential damages in Angola.
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September 06, 2024
IHS Seeks Stay In $17M Suit In Wake Of High Court Ruling
The Indian Health Service is asking for a stay in a challenge by a Navajo Nation hospital board that seeks $17.4 million in unpaid contract support costs, saying the agency is working toward a methodology on how to address claims stemming from a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the issue.
Expert Analysis
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Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?
A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.
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Series
Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.
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Bid Protest Spotlight: Misplaced Info, Trade-Offs, Proteges
James Tucker at MoFo examines three recent decisions concerning the consequences of providing solicited information in the wrong section of a bid proposal, the limits of agency discretion in technical merit, best-value trade-off evaluations, and the weight of the experience and capabilities of small businesses in mentor-protégé joint venture qualification.
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Del. Dispatch: Director Caremark Claims Need Extreme Facts
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently dismissed Caremark claims against the directors of Centene in Bricklayers Pension Fund of Western Pennsylvania v. Brinkley, indicating a high bar for a finding of the required element of bad faith for Caremark liability, and stressing the need to resist hindsight bias, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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Opinion
Time To Reimagine The Novation Process For Gov't Contracts
The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, which recently extended a long-standing request for public comments on its novation procedures, should heed commenters' suggestions by implementing specific changes in its documentation requirements, thereby creating a more streamlined and practical novation process, say attorneys at Covington.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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How Justices' E-Rate Decision May Affect Scope Of FCA
The U.S. Supreme Court’s eventual decision in Wisconsin Bell v. U.S., determining whether reimbursements paid by the E-rate program are "claims" under the False Claims Act, may affect other federal programs that do not require payments to be made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, says David Colapinto at Kohn Kohn.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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What Cos. Should Note In DOJ's New Whistleblower Pilot
After the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a new whistleblower pilot program last week — continuing its efforts to incentivize individual reporting of misconduct — companies should review the eligibility criteria, update their compliance programs and consider the risks and benefits of making their own self-disclosures, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Motion To Transfer Venue Considerations For FCA Cases
Several recent decisions highlight the importance for practitioners of analyzing as early as possible whether a False Claims Act case warrants a change of venue, and understanding how courts weigh certain factors for defendants versus whistleblowers, say Ellen London at London & Stout, and Li Yu and Corey Lipton at DiCello Levitt.
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Series
After Chevron: New Lines Of Attack For FCA Defense Bar
Loper Bright has given defense counsel new avenues to overcome the False Claims Act elements of falsity and scienter, as any FCA claim based upon ambiguous statutory terms can no longer stand solely on agency regulations to establish the statute's meaning, which is itself necessary to satisfy the FCA's basic requirements, says Elisha Kobre at Bradley Arant.
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Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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SolarWinds Ruling Offers Cyber Incident Response Takeaways
The New York federal court's dismissal of all charges related to the 2019 Sunburst cyberattack is a devastating blow to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's cybersecurity case against SolarWinds, but the well-reasoned opinion provides valuable lessons that may improve companies' defensive posture in the wake of a major cybersecurity incident, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.