Aerospace & Defense

  • April 16, 2024

    Arms-Maker Gets 70 Years For Torture Under Rarely Used Law

    A Pennsylvania man who owned an Iraqi weapons factory has been sentenced to 70 years in prison after being found guilty of abducting and torturing an employee who threatened to expose an illegal weapons manufacturing scheme, making him the second person convicted under a little-used federal statute.

  • April 16, 2024

    CIA Says Litigating Assange Spying Suit Would Reveal Secrets

    The Central Intelligence Agency has asked a New York federal judge to toss a case accusing it of unlawfully spying on lawyers and journalists who met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying it cannot address those allegations without revealing protected state secrets.

  • April 16, 2024

    NJ Financial Counselor Cops To Defrauding Army Families

    A New Jersey financial counselor with the U.S. Army and a major in the U.S. Army Reserve pled guilty in federal court on Tuesday to defrauding Gold Star families and other related crimes, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

  • April 16, 2024

    Feds Want To Boot Gibbons Atty From Menendez Bribery Case

    Prosecutors plan to call a Gibbons PC attorney as a witness during the bribery trial of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and want him disqualified from representing another defendant in the case, they told a New York federal judge Tuesday.

  • April 16, 2024

    Sikorsky Calls Chopper Crash Suit 'Beyond' US Court's Power

    Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. is pushing a Pennsylvania federal judge to toss liability claims brought by the families of six Canadian military personnel who died in one of its helicopters, arguing that the witnesses and evidence for the case are in Canada, "beyond the compulsory process of this court."

  • April 16, 2024

    Justices Say Army Vet Owed More Education Benefits

    An Army veteran who sought additional education benefits to attend Yale Divinity School is owed more federal assistance, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, upending an en banc Federal Circuit ruling that took a narrower view of what he is entitled to based on his multiple tours of duty.

  • April 15, 2024

    Feds Call Off $5.7M Bid To Recoup Costs For Damaged V-22

    The federal government agreed to drop its $5.7 million lawsuit against the city of San Diego and the commercial aviation companies that operated the aircraft that rammed into a parked Marine Corps tiltrotor transport in 2020, according to a Monday court filing.

  • April 15, 2024

    House Rejects Bid To Overturn Spy Bill Authorization

    The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday rejected an attempt to overturn legislation reauthorizing a controversial foreign surveillance program after several Republican lawmakers took issue with the exclusion of a warrant requirement for accessing U.S. citizens' information.

  • April 15, 2024

    Minimize Nat'l Security Regs On Broadband, Verizon Says

    Verizon said the Federal Communications Commission should not impose national security reviews that could disrupt existing broadband service when it passes a net neutrality order as expected this month.

  • April 15, 2024

    Claims Court Backs VA's Pick For Healthcare Conversion Deal

    The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has backed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' decision to tap a healthcare technology company to convert paper-based healthcare claims into electronic formats despite protests from two competitors for the work that allege the VA assigned them undeserved weaknesses.

  • April 15, 2024

    Boeing Says Virgin Can't Use Another Court To Avoid IP Suit

    Boeing has urged the Virginia federal judge overseeing its breach of contract and trade secrets dispute with Virgin Galactic to block Virgin from moving forward with a "copycat" lawsuit in California, saying Virgin is wrongly trying to avoid the original lawsuit.

  • April 15, 2024

    Security Co. Faces Trial Over Poorly Trained Guards In Kabul

    Allegations that an international security company defrauded the U.S. government by skimping mandatory refresher training for guards protecting diplomatic sites in Afghanistan will be heard at trial after a Georgia federal judge refused to throw out a former supervisor's whistleblower suit.

  • April 15, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week, Delaware justices mulled whether one Chancery Court vice chancellor properly voided four company bylaws — just as another vice chancellor voided one more. Fights among Truth Social investors continued, and shareholders launched new cases involving Macy's, United Airlines, and Clayton Dubilier & Rice LLC and Stone Point Capital LLC.

  • April 15, 2024

    Prosecutor Says Trump Can't Keep Punting Docs Deadlines

    The special counsel prosecuting former President Donald Trump over the alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate has asked a Florida federal judge to deny Trump's request for another delay, arguing Trump should not be able to use a trial against him in New York to further delay the proceeding.

  • April 15, 2024

    Feds Flag DNA, Bank Names On Menendez Cash Bundles

    Federal prosecutors pursuing bribery charges against U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez have countered his bid to scrap evidence — such as gold bars and $10,000 cash bundles — from his upcoming trial, telling a New York federal judge that fingerprints, DNA and currency straps from banks where Menendez and his wife don't have accounts derail his claim that the money comes from personal savings. 

  • April 12, 2024

    Charges In Trump Docs Case Aren't Specific, Personnel Say

    Two men charged with conspiring to obstruct the investigation into whether former President Donald Trump illegally retained classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office urged a Florida federal court on Friday to dismiss the indictments against them, saying they don't specifically allege any crimes.

  • April 12, 2024

    Petition Watch: Judge DQs, 'Excessive' Damages & Price Wars

    A former al-Qaida member has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify disqualification protocol for judges overseeing a case related to their prior work as a government attorney, and energy drink manufacturers want the court to develop a modern-day test to determine if companies qualify as price-discrimination competitors. Here's four high court petitions filed recently that you might've missed.

  • April 12, 2024

    Space Force Opportunities Come With Uncertainties For Cos.

    The U.S. Space Force's new plan to rely more on the private sector offers growth opportunities for the commercial aerospace industry, but experts say businesses should be wary of budgetary constraints and regulatory uncertainties.

  • April 12, 2024

    House To Retry Spy Bill After Warrant Measure Fails By 1 Vote

    The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voted to reauthorize government surveillance of foreigners without warrants, only to have a Florida Republican call for a reconsideration vote for Monday to require warrants for spying on Americans' communications caught up in the surveillance.

  • April 12, 2024

    Ex-US Diplomat Gets 15 Years For Spying For Cuba

    A Florida federal judge accepted a plea deal Friday and gave a 15-year prison sentence to a U.S. diplomat who secretly acted as an agent of the Cuban government for decades, but only after the government inserted a provision into the agreement making him liable for restitution to any potential victims.

  • April 11, 2024

    FCC Says Satellite Co.'s Dispute With Backer Belongs In Court

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday told a satellite company and its financial backer to take their squabble over a withdrawn enforcement petition to court, rejecting BIU LLC's bid to reopen an administrative proceeding first prompted by Spectrum Five.

  • April 11, 2024

    China Sanctions 2 US Defense Firms For Taiwan Arms Sales

    China on Thursday hit General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems with sanctions for selling arms to Taiwan, a move that bans the defense companies' senior management and freezes the companies' assets in the country.

  • April 11, 2024

    11th Circ. Denies Atty DQ Bid From Gold Star Wives

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday denied a request from Gold Star Wives of America Inc. to disqualify an attorney representing a former president of the organization in an appeal over a trademark suit settlement, rejecting its argument that the lawyer's time serving the group should prevent him from guiding its former leader.

  • April 11, 2024

    3 Firms Vie To Lead RTX Stockholder Suit Over Engine Cracks

    Saxena White PA and Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP on Thursday sought appointments as co-lead counsel in pension fund lawsuits alleging RTX Corp.'s stock fell when it revealed that cracks in a subsidiary's jet engines cost billions to repair, with Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP also seeking to lead the case for an individual investor.

  • April 11, 2024

    OJ Simpson's Jury Was Sequestered. Why Not Trump's?

    Unlike jurors in the murder case of O.J. Simpson, the 12 Manhattanites picked to hear criminal charges against Donald Trump likely won't be sequestered during the trial — easing psychological and financial burdens but potentially exposing them to outside pressures.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

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    As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Unpacking The New Russia Sanctions And Export Controls

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    Although geographically broad new prohibitions the U.S., U.K. and EU issued last week are somewhat underwhelming in their efforts to target third-country facilitators of Russia sanctions evasion, companies with exposure to noncompliant jurisdictions should pay close attention to their potential impacts, say attorneys at Shearman.

  • Args In APA Case Amplify Justices' Focus On Agency Power

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    In arguments last week in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve, the U.S. Supreme Court justices paid particular importance to the possible ripple effects of their decision, which will address when a facial challenge to long-standing federal rules under the Administrative Procedure Act first accrues and could thus unleash a flood of new lawsuits, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Gulf Cooperation Council

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    The Gulf Cooperation Council is in the early stages of ESG policy implementation, but recent commitments by both states and corporations — including increases in sustainable finance transactions, environmental commitments, female representation on boards and human rights enforcement — show continuing progress toward broader ESG goals, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Steps For Companies New To Sanctions Compliance

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    Businesses newly required to implement compliance programs due to the increased breadth of mandatory sanctions and export controls, including 500 additional Russia sanctions announced last Friday, should closely follow the guidance issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and other regulators, say Jennifer Schubert and Megan Church at MoloLamken.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: The Terms Matter

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    Stephanie Magnell and Zachary Jacobson at Seyfarth examine recent decisions from the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which offer reminders about the importance of including contract terms to address the unexpected circumstances that may interfere with performance.

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

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    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: February Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five notable circuit court decisions on topics from property taxes to veteran's rights — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including class representative intervention, wage-and-hour dispute evidence and ascertainability requirements.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • How DOD Can Improve Flexibility Under Proposed Cyber Rule

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    The U.S. Department of Defense should carefully address some of the more nuanced aspects of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program to avoid unintended consequences, specifically the proposal to severely limit contractor use of plans of actions and milestones, say Joshua Duvall at Maynard Nexsen and Sandeep Kathuria at L3Harris Technologies.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling Helps Clarify When Gov't Clawback Is Timely

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    The Federal Circuit’s examination of claims accrual in a January decision that allows the Defense Contract Management Agency to pursue overpayment claims under a cost-reimbursement contract serves as a reminder that the government can lose such claims by waiting too long to file, say Evan Sherwood and Peter Hutt at Covington.

  • 6th Circ. Ruling Breathes New Life Into Article III Traceability

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Hardwick v. 3M Co. to vacate a district court's certification of one of the largest class actions in American jurisprudence for lack of Article III standing has potentially broader implications for class action practice in the product liability sphere, particularly in medical monitoring cases involving far-fetched theories of causation, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Aviation Watch: 737 Max Blowout Raises Major Safety Issues

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    The sudden in-flight loss of a side panel on an Alaska Air 737-9 Max last month, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane's cabin, highlighted ongoing quality issues at Boeing, the jet's manufacturer — but the failure also arose from decisions made by the airline, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Exporters Should Approach Self-Disclosure With Caution

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    A January Bureau of Industry and Security memorandum created an abbreviated process for disclosing export control violations that lack aggravating factors, but deciding which disclosure method to utilize remains a complex strategic undertaking to which companies must give careful consideration, say attorneys at Covington.

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