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Government Contracts
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December 17, 2024
DOD Expands Data Rights For Small Biz R&D Program Cos.
The U.S. Department of Defense on Tuesday issued rules expanding the data rights retained by small business research and development program participants, and codifying that unique rules for architectural and engineering contracts cover orders under multiple-award contracts.
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December 17, 2024
Ex-Ga. Tech Prof 'Lucky' To Beat Criminal Charges, Judge Says
A Georgia federal judge appeared unsympathetic on Tuesday to a former Georgia Tech professor who said he was the victim of a mishandled internal audit that led to his indictment on racketeering charges, telling the professor's civil attorney his client was "lucky that he's not in prison."
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December 17, 2024
Texas Rep. Aims To Bar DOD Buys From China-Linked IT Cos.
Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, introduced a bill Tuesday that would prohibit the U.S. secretary of defense from entering into information technology contracts with companies with certain ties to China, saying cyberattacks have highlighted the vulnerability of the country's defense and IT systems to foreign interference.
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December 17, 2024
Feds Intervene In $200M FCA Case Against CVS
The federal government has intervened in a whistleblower case accusing CVS and its subsidiaries of pocketing more than $200 million in overpayments, in order to defend the constitutionality of the False Claims Act's whistleblower provisions.
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December 17, 2024
Fed. Circ. Guts Ruling On $367M Alaska Port Dispute
A Federal Circuit panel partially vacated a ruling that found the federal Maritime Administration breached two contract agreements with Anchorage related to a Port of Alaska upgrade and expansion, and awarded the city $367 million in damages.
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December 17, 2024
Split Pa. High Court Revives Kleinbard Fee Row Over DA Work
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday revived Kleinbard LLC's bid to get Lancaster County to pay for legal work on behalf of a former district attorney, reasoning that a lower court hastily rejected the firm's factual assertions.
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December 17, 2024
PG&E Secures $15B Energy Dept. Loan To Upgrade Grid
The U.S. Department of Energy said on Tuesday that it has conditionally committed to lending Pacific Gas & Electric Co. up to $15 billion for projects aimed at expanding hydropower generation and clean energy infrastructure in California.
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December 17, 2024
Groups Want Win In Partially Blocked Prevailing Wage Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor's final rule updating how prevailing wages are calculated under the Davis-Bacon Act should sink because it is arbitrary and capricious, a group of construction groups said, urging a Texas court to ax the rule after it partially blocked it.
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December 16, 2024
Lender Takes Aim At $2B Commisimpex Awards
A New York state court has issued a temporary restraining order over some $2 billion in arbitral awards still owed by the Republic of the Congo to Commissions Import-Export SA following a decades-old feud over unpaid public works contracts, citing a request from a lender.
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December 16, 2024
ICE Contractor Claims Immunity From Family Separation Suit
Transportation services provider MVM Inc. is arguing a father and son suing it for its role in a Trump administration policy that separated them and thousands of other immigrant families can't show it acted unlawfully or outside the bounds of a valid federal contract, dooming their litigation.
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December 16, 2024
Fed. Circ. Says Navy Mooted Appeal With New Solicitation
The Federal Circuit on Monday dismissed an appeal over a ruling that the U.S. Navy had wrongly found a technical support contract proposal untimely, saying the issuance of a revised solicitation and subsequent contract award effectively mooted the case.
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December 16, 2024
Honeywell Pollution Suit Belongs In Ga. Court, 11th Circ. Told
A Georgia city suing Honeywell International Inc. over the company's alleged pollution of coastal waterways told the Eleventh Circuit Monday that the Environmental Protection Agency's supervision of remediation efforts can't transform Honeywell into a federal officer, thus denying the company the jurisdiction it needs to move the case into federal court.
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December 16, 2024
Feds Ask To Speak With Juror In Failed $34M Kickback Trial
Prosecutors on Monday asked a New Jersey federal judge if they could speak with the foreperson of a jury that acquitted a Philadelphia pharmacy executive of scheming to bilk $34 million from insurers by paying kickbacks, after the juror offered to share feedback ahead of a possible retrial.
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December 13, 2024
Texas Panel Prods Harrison County About Tank Leakage
A Texas appeals court judge on Friday questioned whether Harrison County is seizing on a legal ambiguity to avoid required testing of underground storage tanks, saying its loose interpretation of the word "year" in a state law "doesn't sound like a very good idea."
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December 13, 2024
DC Judge Questions DOT On Rail Line 'Buy America' Waiver
A D.C. federal judge Friday scrutinized the Federal Railroad Administration's rolling stock grant for Brightline's high-speed rail line from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas, questioning whether a waiver of "Buy America" mandates was justified for Siemens trainsets with competitor Alstom claiming some components could be made domestically.
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December 13, 2024
Devas Gets Help As it Looks To Revive $1.3B Award Fight
An Indian satellite communications company that is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to revive its efforts to enforce a $1.3 billion arbitral award against a state-owned Indian company received a boost on Wednesday as numerous amici, including the Biden administration, backed its position in the litigation.
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December 13, 2024
NYC Hospital System Wants Out Of REIT's $50M Campus Suit
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. and the New York City Economic Development Corp. asked a New York federal court Friday to dismiss a $50 million suit that accused them of being misleading when it came to the development of a floodwall that's supposed to be part of a commercial life sciences campus project.
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December 13, 2024
Pa. Contractor Hit With $4.2M Verdict In Pot Software Row
A Pennsylvania federal jury hit a cannabis software company with a $4.2 million judgment in a lawsuit from a subcontractor claiming it was brought on to help with a government project because of its Black-owned status, then pushed out of the $10 million deal.
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December 13, 2024
Conn. Stadium Bidder Can't Pursue 'Sham' Process Claims
An unsuccessful bidder for the redevelopment of Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut, lacks standing to carry on a 56-count lawsuit against 19 defendants that it accused of executing a "sham" process, a state appeals court ruled Friday.
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December 13, 2024
Ex-Judges, Atty Group Back Newman In Suspension Lawsuit
U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman has received more support at the D.C. Circuit in her case over the suspension her colleagues imposed on her for refusing to participate in an investigation into her fitness to serve as a Federal Circuit judge, this time from a group of former federal judges and the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.
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December 13, 2024
Construction Co. Fights Stay In Small Biz Qui Tam Suit
The owners of a construction firm accused in a whistleblower suit of defrauding a program for disadvantaged small businesses objected to a request to delay the suit while the Eleventh Circuit considers the appeal of another suit that resulted in a controversial decision deeming the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act unconstitutional.
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December 13, 2024
Helicopter Co. Calls Whistleblower Suit 'Premature'
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. told a Connecticut state court that a self-described well-known whistleblower failed to turn to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration before filing a lawsuit that accuses the company of firing him for reporting wage and hour and environmental violations, and it urged the court to toss the suit.
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December 13, 2024
Contractor Loses Bail For Texting Alleged Tax Cheat Allies
A District of Columbia federal judge revoked bail for a former defense contractor accused of running a $350 million tax-evasion scheme that prosecutors call one of the largest in U.S. history, after the government said he'd been texting his alleged co-conspirators.
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December 12, 2024
DHS Must Do More For Acquisition Staff Troubles, GAO Says
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is not doing all it can to address the workload and hiring challenges its acquisition workforce is facing, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report released on Thursday.
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December 12, 2024
Pawnbroker Pleads Guilty To Bribing Ex-Newark Deputy Mayor
A Garden State pawnbroker and jeweler admitted in New Jersey federal court Thursday that he took part in a bribery scheme to influence a former Newark official regarding the acquisition and redevelopment of city-owned properties.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.
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Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review
For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Inside The Appeals Board's 2024 Report To Congress
An in-depth examination of the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals’ annual report reveals a continuing decline in new cases, motions and hearings, a trend that may correspond with the increased use of alternative dispute resolution, and expedited or accelerated proceedings, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.
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Navigating 4th Circ.'s Antitrust Burden In Hybrid Relationships
The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to review the Fourth Circuit's Brewbaker decision, a holding that heightens the burden on antitrust prosecutors when the target companies have a hybrid horizontal-vertical relationship, but diverges from other circuits, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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How CFIUS' Updated Framework Affects Global Investors
The recent change to the monitoring and enforcement regulations governing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States will broaden administrative practices around nonnotified transaction investigations, increase the scope of information demands from the committee and accelerate its ability to impose mitigation on parties, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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Health Policy Predictions For Trump's Second Administration
As President-elect Donald Trump's nominations for health policy and enforcement heads work their way through the confirmation process, healthcare organizations can look at nominee backgrounds, campaign statements and actions from Trump's previous presidency to predict incoming priorities, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Perils Of Perfunctory Interpretation
Attorneys at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions in which the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and the Federal Circuit ruthlessly dismantled arguments that rely on superficial understandings of different contract terms.
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Series
Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.
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Opinion
Justices Should Squash Bid To Criminalize Contract Breaches
In Kousisis v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court should reject the sweeping legal theory that breaches of contract can satisfy the property element of the mail and wire fraud statutes, which, if validated, would criminalize an array of ordinary conduct and violate basic constitutional principles, say attorneys at The Norton Law Firm.
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What Trump's Next Term May Mean For Biz Immigration
Leonard D'Arrigo at Harris Beach discusses the employment-based immigration policies businesses can potentially expect during President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, based on policies enacted during his first administration, statements made during his campaign and proposals in Project 2025.
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Series
Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer
Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.
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Opinion
Weak Reasoning Underlies Fla. Judge's Bold Qui Tam Ruling
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Mizelle's groundbreaking decision in U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates LLC, holding that qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act are unconstitutional, relies on weak logic to reach a conclusion that differs from every other court that has ruled on the issue, says Ethan Greenberg at Anderson Kill.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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Medicare Overpayment Rules Are A Mixed Bag For Providers
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' updated rules for handling agency overpayments adopt a more reasonable definition of what it means to have "identified" an overpayment, which is a win for providers, but their new time frame for investigating related overpayments is unrealistic, says Susan Banks at Holland & Knight.
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Bid Protest Spotlight: Unclear Criteria, Data Rights, Conflicts
Liam Bowers at MoFo examines three recent decisions from the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims examining the use of unstated evaluation criteria, an agency's investigation of its own data rights and unequal access to information about an organizational conflict of interest.