Government Contracts

February 11, 2025
Labaton Keller Appointed Lead In Healthcare Co. IPO Suit

A New York federal judge on Tuesday appointed Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP as lead counsel in a securities class action accusing nursing-care provider PACS Group Inc. of misleading investors about false Medicare claims and regulatory investigations tied to its initial public offering.
February 11, 2025
A 'Disaster For Science': Universities Sue Over NIH Grant Cap

Research universities and higher education organizations on Tuesday requested an order from a Massachusetts federal court to halt the Trump administration from capping indirect costs for grants from the National Institutes of Health, one day after a separate Bay State federal judge paused the change from taking effect in a case brought by a group of state attorneys general.
February 11, 2025
ABA, Aid Orgs. Sue White House Over Foreign Funding Freeze

The American Bar Association and seven international aid organizations sued the Trump administration in D.C. federal court Tuesday over its freeze on foreign assistance funding, arguing the pause flouts "bedrock separation-of-powers principles."
February 11, 2025
NYC Doc Convicted In Medical Test Kickback Scheme

A New York City doctor was convicted on all charges alleging that he took kickbacks from a medical lab owner as part of a scheme to bill Medicare for $20.7 million worth of unnecessary medical tests.
February 10, 2025
Atlanta's Inspector General Sued Over Financial Subpoenas

A lobbyist and former campaign manager for a sitting Atlanta City Council member has sued the city's inspector general over allegations she violated state laws in issuing subpoenas for the lobbyist's bank records to bolster a "frivolous" corruption probe.
February 10, 2025
Trump Ousts Office Of Government Ethics Director

President Donald Trump has fired David Huitema, the director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, the independent agency announced on Monday, less than two months after Huitema started as the agency's head.
February 10, 2025
Colo. Nixes Suspension Of Medicaid Ride Company

Colorado's Medicaid agency rescinded the six-month suspension of a transportation company that provides nonemergency rides to patients ahead of a hearing Monday on the company's bid to block the suspension.
February 10, 2025
Trump Stops Enforcement Of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that puts a "pause" on enforcement of the federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, saying the law against U.S. companies bribing foreign officials to win business in other countries has made American companies less competitive.
February 10, 2025
Judge: Dominican Republic Should Pay $44M Landfill Award

A magistrate judge in Washington, D.C., recommended Friday that a $43.6 million arbitral award issued after the Dominican Republic terminated a landfill concession should be enforced, saying there was no evidence that the tribunal failed to investigate allegations of underlying fraud.
February 10, 2025
Trump Admin's $7.4B In Arms Sales To Israel Draws Dem's Ire

The U.S. Department of State, to the dismay of at least one Democratic lawmaker, approved the $7.4 billion sale of guided missiles and other equipment to Israel, according to the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
February 10, 2025
Fed. Circ. Revives Cotter's Radiation Injury Suit Indemnity Bid

The Federal Circuit on Monday revived Cotter Corp.'s bid for federal indemnity after settling claims related to alleged exposure to radioactive residue stemming from the Manhattan Project, saying a Court of Federal Claims judge read an indemnification statute too narrowly.
February 10, 2025
SpaceX Says It Has Been Harmed By Coastal Commission

SpaceX has argued it should be allowed to move forward with its suit alleging the California Coastal Commission wrongly tried to block the company's rocket launches, saying it had been harmed by the commission's allegedly unconstitutional actions.
February 10, 2025
Trump Buyout Plan Still On Hold As Unions Cite 'Confusion'

A Boston federal judge on Monday extended his hold on President Donald Trump's federal worker buyout program as he weighs a request from unions to block the so-called Fork Directive, which promises months of pay to government employees who resign their posts.
February 10, 2025
Mass. Judge Temporarily Blocks NIH Funding Cuts

A Massachusetts federal judge issued a temporary hold Monday on a Trump administration plan to slash grant funding provided by the National Institutes of Health after 22 states sued to block the cuts.
February 10, 2025
Government Contracts Group Of The Year: Hogan Lovells

Hogan Lovells succeeded in persuading the U.S. Government Accountability Office that an $896 million contract for transportation services supporting the Office of Refugee Resettlement's program for unaccompanied children wasn't properly awarded, landing it among the 2024 Law360 Government Contracts Groups of the Year.
February 10, 2025
Trump Admin Violating Order To Unfreeze Funds, Judge Says

A Rhode Island federal judge ruled Monday the Trump administration is not complying with the court's temporary restraining order barring a freeze on funding for federal grants and programs, ordering the administration to immediately restore the frozen funds.
February 07, 2025
Trump Isn't Obeying Order To Unfreeze Funds, States Say

The Trump administration is not complying with a temporary restraining order barring a freeze on funding for federal grant and aid programs, a coalition of states told a Rhode Island federal judge Friday, asking the court to enforce its order and to enter a stiffer injunction blocking the funding freeze.
February 07, 2025
Judiciary Dems Want Ethics Probe Into Musk's DOGE Work

A dozen Democratic lawmakers on Friday pressed the U.S. attorney general and the Office of Government Ethics to look into whether Elon Musk's personal financial interests mean his work as a special government employee violates federal ethics laws.
February 07, 2025
FEMA Disaster Contract Oversight Is Lacking, GAO Says

FEMA doesn't always keep up with whether its contractors are doing the job they were contracted to do properly, which can make oversight hard, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a new report.
February 07, 2025
NJ Statehouse Catch-Up: Offshore Wind, AI, Neurodiversity

The retraction of New Jersey's fourth offshore wind solicitation came alongside a wave of legislative and regulatory activity that also proposed workplace rules to bolster inclusivity and a new compensation path for assault victims
February 07, 2025
Fed. Circ. Pushes Back At Doctors Who Vouched For Newman

The Federal Circuit judges considering Judge Pauline Newman's request to end her suspension said Friday that they had retained doctors who have expressed "significant concerns" that there are errors and oversights in reports from physicians who deemed the 97-year-old judge fit to serve.
February 07, 2025
Medicaid Ride Co. Says Colo. Can't Back Suspension

A transportation company is asking a Colorado state judge on Monday to block a suspension barring it from providing rides to state Medicaid members, claiming a state agency doesn't have authority to suspend its work based on allegedly bogus accusations of fraud.
February 07, 2025
GAO Says Army Reasonably Sole-Sourced Power Unit Deal

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied a protest over a U.S. Army sole-source contract for power units that followed on from a prototyping deal, saying the Army showed that no alternative unit could meet its needs.
February 07, 2025
Construction Groups Push To Ax DBA Final Rule For Good

The U.S. Department of Labor made rootless arguments to save its final rule updating how prevailing wages are calculated under the Davis-Bacon Act, construction groups told a Texas federal court, continuing their push to entirely ax the already partially blocked rule.
February 07, 2025
NAFTA Case Useful In Bid To DQ Quinn Emanuel, Judge Says

A Florida federal judge has ruled that a Mexican oil company can use information on dismissed NAFTA arbitration and other documents in a bid to disqualify former counsel Quinn Emanuel, saying the evidence is relevant to underlying litigation over alleged funds transfers.

Editor's Picks

The Latest On Escobar's FCA Impact

Federal courts across the country are handing down important rulings interpreting the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision on False Claims Act liability in Universal Health Services v. Escobar. As the rulings keep pouring in, stay up to speed on Law360’s latest coverage and analysis of Escobar’s impact.

Expert Analysis

Opinion

Judge Should Not Have Been Reprimanded For Alito Essay

Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor's New York Times essay critiquing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for potential ethical violations absolutely cannot be construed as conduct prejudicial to the administration of the business of the courts, says Ashley London at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.
Navigating The Ins And Outs Of Gov't Contracting SAM Site

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Recent developments at the U.S. Government Accountability Office highlight the importance of government contractors knowing how to navigate the online System for Award Management and maintaining an up-to-date registration, says Matthew Moriarty at Schoonover & Moriarty.
What Day 1 Bondi Memos Mean For Corporate Compliance

After Attorney General Pam Bondi’s flurry of memos last week declaring new enforcement priorities on issues ranging from foreign bribery to diversity initiatives, companies must base their compliance programs on an understanding of their own core values and principles, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.
Lights, Camera, Ethics? TV Lawyers Tend To Set Bad Example

Though fictional movies and television shows portraying lawyers are fun to watch, Hollywood’s inaccurate depictions of legal ethics can desensitize attorneys to ethics violations and lead real-life clients to believe that good lawyers take a scorched-earth approach, says Nancy Rapoport at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Ga. Tech Case Shows DOJ Focus On Higher Ed Cybersecurity

The Justice Department’s ongoing case against the Georgia Institute of Technology demonstrates how many colleges and universities may be unwittingly exposed to myriad cybersecurity requirements that, if not followed, could lead to False Claims Act liability, say attorneys at Woods Rogers.
Perspectives

Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines

KPMG’s recent application to open a legal practice in Arizona represents the first overture by an accounting firm to take advantage of the state’s relaxed law firm ownership rules, but enforcing and supervising the practice of law by nonattorneys could prove particularly challenging, says Seth Laver at Goldberg Segalla.
Trump's Energy Plans: Climate, Data Centers, LNG And More

With a host of executive orders addressing climate and emissions policies, expanded energy development, offshore and onshore projects, liquefied natural gas and more, the second Trump administration has already given energy companies much to consider, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
AI Will Soon Transform The E-Discovery Industrial Complex

Todd Itami at Covington discusses how generative artificial intelligence will reshape the current e-discovery paradigm, replacing the blunt instrument of data handling with a laser scalpel of fully integrated enterprise solutions — after first making e-discovery processes technically and legally harder.
Trump's Energy Plans: Funding, Permits And Nuclear Power

In the wake of President Donald Trump's flurry of first-day executive orders focusing on the energy sector, attorneys at Gibson Dunn analyze what this presidency will mean for energy-related grants and loans, changes to permitting processes and developments in nuclear power.
When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law

In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering

Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.
A Halftime Analysis Of DOJ's Compensation Pilot Program

The U.S. Department of Justice appears to consider the first half of its three-year pilot program on compensation incentives and clawbacks to be proceeding successfully, so companies should expect prosecutors to emphasize the program and other compliance-related considerations early in investigations, say attorneys at Debevoise.
What To Expect From Trump's Deputy Labor Secretary Pick

President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, Keith Sonderling, has a track record of prioritizing clear guidance on both traditional and cutting-edge issues, which can provide insight into what employers can expect from his leadership, say attorneys at Littler.
Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025

Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.
A Look At Order Ending Federal Contractor Affirmative Action

To comply with President Donald Trump's executive order revoking affirmative action requirements in the next 90 days, federal contractors should focus on identification of protected groups, responsibilities of "diversity officer" positions and annual compliance reviews, says Jeremy Burkhart at Holland & Knight.