Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Government Contracts
-
April 08, 2024
Cannabis Co. Says DEA Administrative Procedure Is Illegal
A Rhode Island cannabis company sued the U.S. Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration claiming the agency is subjecting it to an illegal proceeding before an administrative judge.
-
April 05, 2024
Equatorial Guinea Says $8M Award Can't Be Enforced
Equatorial Guinea is urging the D.C. Circuit to nix enforcement of an $8 million arbitral award issued to a Swiss company that was ousted from a hospital operating contract, saying a lower court should have looked closer at whether the dispute was adjudicated in the proper forum.
-
April 05, 2024
Mich. Panel Rejects 'Fees For Fees' In Contractor's FOIA Bid
A split Michigan state appeals court has refused to top attorney fees a construction contractor won against a county-level road agency that the contractor accused of failing to disclose certain hiring information, with the court finding the fees to be limited because the contractor dragged out litigation.
-
April 05, 2024
Feds Say Bombing Survivors' Suit Is Outside Court's Authority
The Biden administration is again pushing to escape survivors' efforts to hold it accountable for U.S. allies' airstrikes in Yemen, telling a Washington, D.C., federal court it had no authority over the executive branch's foreign arms dealing.
-
April 05, 2024
Judge Newman Pushes To Keep Suit Over Suspension Intact
U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman urged a D.C. federal judge Friday to let her pursue a constitutional challenge to the law under which she has been suspended, and to reject her colleagues' contention that her case does not pass legal muster.
-
April 05, 2024
Utah Says It Stands To Lose Big In BLM Oil Lease Challenge
Utah is asking a federal judge for permission to defend the Bureau of Land Management's decision to sell oil and gas leases on more than 200,000 acres of public land, an action under legal attack from environmental groups.
-
April 05, 2024
Claims Court Says Leaked Contractor Info Didn't Help Rival
A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge has rejected an aviation fuel services company's suit alleging that the Defense Logistics Agency wrongly failed to mitigate the inadvertent release of sensitive information to the Miami company's rival, saying the agency reasonably determined that the information wasn't competitively useful.
-
April 05, 2024
Contractor Settles Naturalized Citizen's Hiring Bias Claims
A federal contractor settled claims that it slammed the brakes on hiring a naturalized citizen after finding out that she was not born in the U.S., the U.S. Department of Justice said.
-
April 04, 2024
Secret Service Defeats Protest of $4.1M Janitorial Deal
The U.S. Secret Service has survived a contractor's protest of a $4.13 million deal to provide janitorial work at the agency's Maryland training facility when the U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled the agency adequately probed allegations of procurement integrity violations.
-
April 04, 2024
Peters Proposes Bills To Boost Federal Contracting Efficiency
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., has introduced a pair of bipartisan bills intended to improve federal contracting, one aimed at increasing competition and making greater use of commercial items, the other requiring agencies to track the practical value they receive from contracts.
-
April 04, 2024
Claims Court Backs Defense Health Agency $31M IT Deal Pick
A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge denied an information technology contractor's protest of a $31 million IT deal the Defense Health Agency awarded to a competitor, saying he found nothing wrong with how the agency evaluated the contractors' proposals.
-
April 04, 2024
Ginnie Mae, HUD Must Face Bank's Vacated Lien Suit
A Texas federal judge trimmed but declined to dismiss Texas Capital Bank's suit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and its Government National Mortgage Association program over a vacated loan lien that the bank says was worth tens of millions of dollars.
-
April 04, 2024
GAO Says Navy Awardee Ineligible Due To Registration Lapse
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has backed a protest over a nearly $5 million Navy custodial services contract, saying the awardee's attempt to re-register in a federal contractor database ahead of expiry didn't excuse a breach of a continuous registration requirement.
-
April 03, 2024
We Had No Conflict In Postal Service Bid, Co. Tells Fed Circ.
A company excluded from a U.S. Postal Service explosives detection contract told the Federal Circuit on Wednesday that a claims court judge hadn't justified his ruling that a conflict of interest stemming from the company's previous work for the service couldn't be mitigated.
-
April 03, 2024
US Escapes $7.5M Demand For Bomb-Sniffing K9s In Kabul
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has tossed a non-governmental organization's lawsuit seeking $7.5 million from the U.S. government for K9 bomb-sniffing work in an area of Afghanistan that housed foreign embassies, saying the government never agreed to guarantee payment.
-
April 03, 2024
Insurer Wants $38M For Covering Unfinished Road Jobs
An insurance company has asked a federal court to force companies connected to an insolvent contractor to hand over more than $38 million to compensate for costs it covered for unfinished jobs.
-
April 03, 2024
Fed. Circ. Struggles With Ambiguity In $14M Army Corps Row
Federal Circuit judges struggled Wednesday to understand ambiguous terms in a company's contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for post-hurricane power restoration, indicating that neither party had clearly explained if the contractor has a valid $14 million claim for additional work needed.
-
April 03, 2024
Groups Fight DOL's Bid To Toss Suit Challenging Wage Rule
A pair of construction industry trade groups urged a Texas federal court to preserve their challenge to a U.S. Department of Labor rule that revises prevailing wage calculations for federally funded projects, arguing that the rule injures both them and the firms they represent.
-
April 03, 2024
3rd Circ. Judge Wonders If Philly Union Rule Dispute Is Moot
A Third Circuit judge on Wednesday wondered whether a former Philadelphia mayor's order requiring contractors to pay dues to "city-approved" unions was now moot, given the new administration's assurances that it won't be implemented, as contractors urged the court to find that the scrapped rule should be banned by law.
-
April 03, 2024
Enviro Group Sues DOE Over $1.1B Diablo Canyon Award
Environmental group Friends of the Earth slapped the U.S. Department of Energy with a complaint in California federal court seeking to unravel the agency's $1.1 billion award for the continued operation of the state's last remaining nuclear power plant.
-
April 03, 2024
14 AGs Urge DOL To Seek More Payroll Info From Contractors
Contractors performing construction, alteration or repair work on government buildings should have to give the U.S. Department of Labor more detailed information about the deductions they take from workers' wages, a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general told the agency in a letter publicized Wednesday.
-
April 03, 2024
Beekeeper Groups Seek Fees From EPA After 9th Circ. Appeal
Attorneys for beekeeper groups in an appeal over a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decision on insecticides have asked the Ninth Circuit to award nearly $750,000 in legal fees after a ruling that hammered the EPA but left the agency's decision intact.
-
April 03, 2024
Pharma Exec, Cousin Cop To Insider Trading On Kodak Loan
A pharmaceutical company's executive and his cousin on Wednesday pled guilty to trading on information they acquired through the company's partnership with Eastman Kodak Co. about a government loan the photography giant was set to receive during the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
April 03, 2024
Skanska Inks $1.4B Contract To Replace Seattle Bridge
Skanska and Washington's Department of Transportation closed a $1.4 billion bridge replacement contract that aims to update Seattle's Portage Bay Bridge so that it's up to "current seismic resiliency standards," the construction and development company announced.
-
April 03, 2024
Fed. Circ. Backs Firing IRS Agent Who Golfed On Agency Time
A former senior appraiser for the Internal Revenue Service was appropriately fired for golfing on company time, a federal appeals court affirmed Wednesday.
Expert Analysis
-
Takeaways From SEC's Aggressive Cybersecurity Moves
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's intensifying policy on cybersecurity and securities violations in the wake of a data breach — like its enforcement action against SolarWinds and its security officer — has emboldened shareholders to file related suits, creating a heightened threat to public companies, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
-
Bid Protest Spotlight: Supplementation, Conversion, Rejection
In this month's bid protest roundup, Lyle Hedgecock and Michaela Thornton at MoFo discuss recent cases highlighting how the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims consider supplementation of the record and an agency’s attempt to convert a sealed bid opportunity into a negotiated procurement, as well as an example of precedential drift.
-
Staying Ahead Of The AI Policymaking Curve
With artificial intelligence poised to be the hottest legislative and regulatory topic in 2024, expect the AI policymaking toolbox to continue to expand and evolve as stakeholders in the U.S. and abroad develop, deploy, use and learn more about these technologies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.
-
Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success
Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.
-
What Cos. Can Learn From 2023 Export Enforcement Report
A January report summarizing key actions and policy changes undertaken at the Office of Export Enforcement in 2023 is a valuable indicator of future government priorities and the factors companies should consider as they conduct export operations amid what may be a turbulent international trading environment in 2024, says Thaddeus McBride at Bass Berry.
-
Series
Competing In Triathlons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While practicing law and competing in long-distance triathlons can make work and life feel unbalanced at times, participating in the sport has revealed important lessons about versatility, self-care and perseverance that apply to the office as much as they do the racecourse, says Laura Heusel at Butler Snow.
-
DOJ's Biopharma Settlement Raises Anti-Kickback Questions
In the aftermath of the U.S. Department of Justice's settlement with Ultragenyx over genetic testing programs, it may be prudent to reevaluate genetic tests through the lens of the Anti-Kickback Statute and reconsider whether it is proper for free testing programs to be treated like patient assistance programs, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.
-
Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument
Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.
-
GAO Decision Underscores Complexity Of '180-Day Rule'
The Government Accountability Office's ruling last month in Washington Business Dynamics, evaluating its eligibility for a small business set-aside contract, provides an important reminder for companies to stay vigilant of developments around the evolving "180-day rule" for submitting a proposal, say Stephen Ramaley and Adam Bartolanzo at Miles & Stockbridge.
-
Perspectives
6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice
An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.
-
Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga
Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
-
How US Companies Can Wield The New Foreign Bribery Law
U.S. companies operating in high-risk markets can use the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act that passed last month to their advantage both in preventing bribe demands and in negotiating with the Justice Department to prevent prosecution or to receive cooperation credit, say attorneys at Squire Patton.
-
A Potential Proactive Tool For Public-Private Joint Ventures
In the current environment of heightened antitrust enforcement, the National Cooperative Research and Production Act seems tailor-made for the collaborative work among competitors encouraged by the Biden administration's infrastructure and green energy funding legislation, say Jeetander Dulani and Susan Ebner at Stinson.
-
How Gov't Use Of Suspension And Debarment Has Evolved
A recent report to Congress about federal agencies' suspension and debarment activities in fiscal years 2021 and 2022 shows exclusion remains a threat to government contracting businesses, though proactive engagement with suspending-and-debarring officials and alternate forms of redress are becoming more common, says David Robbins at Jenner & Block.
-
Uncharted Waters Ahead For FCA Litigation In 2024
Following a year of significant court decisions, settlements, recoveries and proposed amendments, 2024 promises to be a lively year for False Claims Act actions and litigation, and one that will hopefully provide more clarity as FCA jurisprudence evolves, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.