Government Contracts

  • March 11, 2024

    Gov't Says Cost Trumps Return In Dish Spectrum Fraud Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge to dismiss a suit accusing Dish Network of trying to buy discounted spectrum through sham companies, saying the plaintiff hasn't shown that Dish hid its interest in the buyers and the companies never received Federal Communications Commission bidding credits anyway.

  • March 11, 2024

    DOD's $850B Budget Request For 2025 Prioritizes Readiness

    The White House on Monday proposed an $849.8 billion discretionary budget for the U.S. Department of Defense for fiscal year 2025, focusing heavily on supporting readiness programs over other priorities.

  • March 11, 2024

    Navajo Says Funding Bid Backed By Self-Determination Act

    The Navajo Nation urged a D.C. federal judge to grant it a quick win in its challenge to allegedly inadequate judicial funding, saying the federal government's arguments for why it shouldn't recoup a $15 million interest shortfall can't survive scrutiny under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act.

  • March 11, 2024

    Feds Pitch Draft Plan For Contested Bears Ears Monument

    The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service are asking for public input on a draft resource management plan for the Bears Ears National Monument, prepared with input from partners including five tribal nations.

  • March 11, 2024

    Pfizer Slams Ex-Compliance Officer's Whistleblower Claims

    Pfizer has asked a California federal court to again dismiss the bulk of a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by a former compliance officer for the pharmaceutical giant, arguing his latest suit is "largely a regurgitation of his original complaint."

  • March 11, 2024

    Atlanta Must Pay EPA $485K Fine Over Trail Construction

    The city of Atlanta will be forced to pay a $485,000 fine to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its unauthorized construction of a public trail along a protected creek after a Georgia federal judge ruled Monday that the project had violated the terms of a decades-old consent decree.

  • March 11, 2024

    DC Circ. Probes Gov't Trial Strategy For Ex-HUD Official

    A former assistant inspector general for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development who is urging the D.C. Circuit to toss his conviction for falsifying government documents seemed to get a sympathetic ear from at least one judge during oral arguments on Monday.

  • March 11, 2024

    10th Circ. Says Colo. Logging Plan Didn't Overlook Lynx

    A Tenth Circuit panel on Monday said a conservation group's claim that federal agencies failed to properly consider the impact of a Colorado forest logging plan on sensitive Canada lynx populations "misses the mark," according to a published opinion rejecting the group's challenge.

  • March 11, 2024

    DOD Expands Contractor Cybersecurity Info Sharing Program

    The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday finalized a rule revising the criteria for defense contractors to participate in a voluntary program for sharing information on cybersecurity threats among themselves, saying it expects to attract thousands of new participants.

  • March 11, 2024

    FERC Says Nixing Power Market Revision Was Right Move

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday defended its rejection of a regional grid operator's revision of its capacity market rules due to competition worries, telling the D.C. Circuit that utility giant Entergy Inc. has no basis to challenge the decision.

  • March 11, 2024

    Wash. Law Aimed At GEO's Migrant Facility Partially Barred

    A Washington federal judge has halted the state from conducting unannounced inspections and imposing new health and safety standards at an immigration detention facility, saying that a statute authorizing those actions unlawfully discriminates against GEO Group Inc., the facility's operator.

  • March 11, 2024

    Steptoe Adds Dentons' Ex-Global Security Chief As Partner

    Steptoe LLP has added a security and threat analysis expert who previously served as Dentons' global chief security officer as a partner in Washington, D.C., the firm announced Monday.

  • March 11, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Court of Chancery became a hot topic in New Orleans last week as litigators and judges at an annual convention acknowledged the First State's corporate law preeminence is under scrutiny. Back home, the court moved ahead on disputes involving Meta Platforms, Abercrombie & Fitch and Donald Trump.

  • March 08, 2024

    Biden Administration Must Use Border Wall Funds, For Now

    A Texas federal judge on Friday ordered the Biden administration to use funds Congress specifically designated for the Southwest border wall to continue construction, issuing a preliminary injunction and finding that Texas and Missouri could face substantial harm to their state budgets without the injunction.

  • March 08, 2024

    Trump 'An Existential Threat' To Rule Of Law, Attys Warn

    Former President Donald Trump represents an "existential threat" to democracy and the rule of law, legal experts said Friday at a conference on white collar crime in San Francisco.

  • March 08, 2024

    Mich. Court Can't Shush Library Whistleblower, Panel Says

    A Michigan appeals court has revived a former library director's whistleblower suit alleging she was fired for questioning whether the library could use public funds to pay for a board member's godson to open a restaurant on the premises, saying she reported ongoing conduct which is considered protected activity.

  • March 08, 2024

    Judge Sweeps Aside 9 Protests To CBP's $900M Support Deals

    The federal claims court cleared U.S. Customs and Border Protection's decision to deny nine bidders spots on $900 million support deals, finding reasonable the agency's assessment that their past work wasn't similar enough to the requested artificial intelligence development services.

  • March 08, 2024

    DOJ Eyes FCPA For New Whistleblower Rewards Program

    U.S. Department of Justice officials on Friday signaled a renewed emphasis on fighting foreign corruption, saying its planned whistleblower rewards program should prove useful in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases against private companies, and warned companies against running afoul of new rules barring the sale of personal data to foreign adversaries of the U.S.

  • March 08, 2024

    Feds, Tribes Say Marine Cos., DOT Polluted Duwamish River

    Two companies and Washington's transportation department would collectively pay about $275,000 to settle claims they polluted the Lower Duwamish River and Elliott Bay in Seattle under a proposed consent decree filed by the U.S. government, the Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Washington state.

  • March 08, 2024

    Colo. Dispensary And Tracking Vendor Settle Fee Suit

    A Colorado state judge has called off a trial between a dispensary chain and Metrc LLC, the company contracted by the state to track cannabis sales, after the two agreed to settle a lawsuit the retailer filed over monthly fees the vendor charged for its state-mandated services.

  • March 08, 2024

    FCC Says There's No Order To Appeal In IT Fund Suspension

    The D.C. Circuit shouldn't rush to hear a case accusing the Federal Communications Commission of dragging its feet on releasing subsidy funds for tech support at grade schools because there's no order from the FCC to be appealed, the agency has said.

  • March 08, 2024

    IRS Leaker Should Be Deposed Without All Docs, Judge Says

    Attorneys for a hedge fund executive should question the former IRS contractor who admitted to stealing the tax returns of him and others, even though the IRS hasn't finished producing evidence in the case seeking to hold the agency responsible for the leak, a Florida federal judge said Friday.

  • March 08, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Argues Judge Newman's Ethics Law Challenge Fails

    A D.C. federal judge must reject suspended U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's challenge to the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act, as her constitutional arguments are too limited, the Federal Circuit Judicial Council said Friday.

  • March 08, 2024

    Ohio Panel Revives Gov't Contract Overseer's Breach Suit

    An Ohio appellate court revived a government contract administration company's suit against a state agency it claimed cut its revenue by millions by diverting potential projects from the firm despite their third-party administrator contract, reversing a lower court's decision that the claim was filed too late.

  • March 08, 2024

    Big Shift Unlikely In Cybersecurity Regs, Despite Concerns

    The U.S. Department of Defense is unlikely to significantly alter its cybersecurity proposals for contractors, despite calls from its private industry base for more flexibility and clarity.

Expert Analysis

  • The 5 Most Important Bid Protest Decisions Of 2023

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    Attorneys at Bradley Arant discuss noteworthy 2023 bid protest decisions from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and U.S. Government Accountability Office, offering perspectives on standing, document production, agency deference, System for Award Management registration requirements and mentor-protégé joint venture proposal evaluations.

  • 4 Questions On Groundbreaking New Foreign Bribery Law

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    The recently enacted Foreign Extortion Prevention Act will significantly alter the anti-corruption landscape under U.S. law by allowing prosecutors to pursue foreign officials for soliciting or accepting bribes, but it’s not yet clear how the statute will be used and by whom, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • OIG Report Has Clues For 2024 Healthcare Fraud Enforcement

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    A recent report from the Health Department's Office of the Inspector General reveals healthcare fraud and abuse enforcement trends that will continue in 2024, from increased telehealth oversight to enhanced policing of managed care, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond

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    The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.

  • DOD's Proposed Cyber Rule: What Contractors Must Know

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    A review of the U.S. Department of Defense's recently published Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification proposed rule, requiring independent third-party cybersecurity assessments for many defense contractors, suggests that there will be a competitive advantage to prompt demonstration of full compliance with the rule, says Robert Metzger at Rogers Joseph.

  • Tips For Contractors Preparing For Potential Gov't Shutdown

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    With elements of the Congress’ latest continuing resolution expiring on Jan. 19, companies that may be fatigued by preparing for potential shutdown after potential shutdown should consider the current political climate and take specific steps now, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • 2 FCPA Settlements Illuminate Self-Disclosure, Disgorgement

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    Two of last year’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlements — with biomedical company Lifecore and mining company Corsa Coal — suggest that the government will be much more flexible in negotiating disgorgement amounts if an entity voluntarily self-discloses misconduct, say Michael Gilbert and Lucas Amodio at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Opinion

    Anti-Kickback Statute Does Not Require But-For Causation

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    A proper interpretation of the Anti-Kickback Statute clearly indicates that but-for causation is not required for False Claims Act Liability, and courts that hold otherwise will make it significantly easier for fraudsters to avoid accountability, says Kenneth Capesius at Baron & Budd.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024

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    Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Lessons From DOJ's Handling Of Rare Medicare Fraud Case

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent indictment against HealthSun sheds light on the relatively rare circumstances in which the agency may pursue criminal charges for fraud involving Medicare Advantage, but its subsequent decision not to prosecute shows that compliance efforts can mitigate penalties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Growing Green Tech Demand Spells Trouble For Groundwater

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    Increasing demand for green technology is depleting the groundwater reserves used to extract and process the necessary minerals, making a fundamental shift toward more sustainable water use practices necessary at both the state and federal levels, says Sarah Mangelsdorf at Goldberg Segalla.

  • What To Know About FCA Cybersecurity Enforcement

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    Now is a good time for practitioners, government contractors and potential relators to review recent developments in cybersecurity-related False Claims Act enforcement, and consider best practices for navigating this space in the new year, say Ellen London at London & Stout, and Li Yu and Molly Knobler at DiCello Levitt.

  • 4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

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    As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.

  • What May Define Contract Disputes Act Jurisdiction In 2024

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    Now is a good time to reflect on how several recent decisions may have limited the government's ability to weaponize jurisdictional prerequisites under the Contract Disputes Act, and how this new direction may affect government contractors and practitioners filing CDA appeals in 2024, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

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    As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

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