Aerospace & Defense

  • January 06, 2025

    Satellite Co. Ligado Hits Ch. 11 With $8.6B Of Debt

    Satellite business Ligado Networks filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with about $8.6 billion of debt and a plan to hand control of the company to creditors after suffering what its chief executive called "catastrophic" losses allegedly caused in part by the U.S. Department of Defense.

  • January 06, 2025

    Nippon, US Steel Hit Back With Suits After Biden Blocks Deal

    Japan's Nippon Steel Corp. and U.S. Steel Corp. have filed two lawsuits following President Joe Biden's Friday decision to block their planned $14.9 billion merger, claiming Monday that the deal was blocked for "purely political reasons." 

  • January 03, 2025

    Boeing, DOJ Say No Agreement Yet For Revised 737 Max Plea

    The Boeing Co. and the U.S. Department of Justice told a Texas federal judge Friday they have not yet reached an agreement on how to revise the aircraft manufacturer's plea agreement in the 737 Max criminal conspiracy case, after the judge last month rejected the initial deal.

  • January 03, 2025

    Alaska Air Passengers Refile New Suit Over Boeing Blowout

    A group of passengers suing Boeing, Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems over a door plug blowout on a 737 Max flight last January have relaunched their claims in Washington state court after a Seattle federal judge tossed an earlier version of the complaint at their request last month.

  • January 03, 2025

    US Sanctions Chinese Tech Co. Over 'Flax Typhoon' Attacks

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on Friday sanctioned Integrity Technology Group Inc., accusing the Beijing-based software company of being behind malicious cyberattacks targeting critical U.S. infrastructure sectors perpetuated by the prolific Chinese government-sponsored "Flax Typhoon" hacker group.

  • January 03, 2025

    Fla. Gov't Contractor Agrees To Pay $1M Over Rigging Bids

    A Florida owner of two government contractors agreed to fork over $1 million to the U.S. government to settle civil allegations he conspired with a Massachusetts-based company to submit false bids and resulted in driving up the cost of U.S. Department of Defense contracts, federal officials said Friday.

  • January 03, 2025

    RTX's $34M No-Poach Deal Gets First Nod From Conn. Judge

    A Connecticut federal judge on Friday gave an initial approval to a $34 million class action settlement by RTX Corp. to end claims that the company's Pratt & Whitney division cooked up an agreement among contractors not to hire one another's aerospace engineers.

  • January 03, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Revive Bias Suit Over SBA Small Biz Program

    A disabled veteran's constitutional challenge to a Small Business Administration contracting program over racial bias concerns must fail because the veteran didn't actually qualify for the program, the Fourth Circuit ruled Friday.

  • January 03, 2025

    Booz Allen To Pay $15.8M To Settle False Claims Case

    Booz Allen Hamilton struck a $15.8 million settlement with the federal government Friday, resolving claims a subsidiary submitted false claims under a contract meant to supply computer military training simulators to the U.S. Department of Defense.

  • January 03, 2025

    FCC Says Cash On Way Soon For 'Rip And Replace'

    The Federal Communications Commission says the additional $3.08 billion for its "rip and replace" program to get Chinese telecommunications equipment out of the nation's networks is on its way and will soon close a wide gap between what was originally allocated for the program and what telecoms say they need.

  • January 03, 2025

    Menendez Cites 'Good Deeds' In Bid To Avoid Prison

    Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has asked a Manhattan federal judge not to sentence him to prison after he was convicted of bribery and corruption in July, saying a "lifetime of good deeds and good character" and a low likelihood of future offenses merit leniency.

  • January 03, 2025

    Biden Blocks $14.9B US Steel-Nippon Deal

    President Joe Biden on Friday formally blocked the planned $14.9 billion merger between Japan's Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, making good on a prior pledge to keep the latter steelmaker U.S.-owned in one of his final flexes of executive power over cross-border deals.

  • January 02, 2025

    Boston Dynamics Settles Robot IP Suit With Rival

    Boston Dynamics Inc. has agreed to a deal to end a patent infringement lawsuit it launched against competitor Ghost Robotics Corp. in Delaware federal court over artificial intelligence technology tested by the U.S. Air Force.

  • January 02, 2025

    Hogan Lovells Gets $1.25M Afghanistan Award OK'd

    Hogan Lovells won enforcement on Thursday of a $1.25 million arbitral award it won against Afghanistan over its representation of the country in various legal matters, an award that the new Taliban-led government has ignored for two years.

  • January 02, 2025

    GAO Rejects Telecom Co.'s Protest Of DOD Contract Denial

    A Bahrain telecommunications company failed to specify the make and model of the equipment required to secure a U.S. Department of Defense contract, the Government Accountability Office said, rejecting the company's claim that the agency wrongly deemed its quote unacceptable.

  • January 02, 2025

    Feds Want 6 Years For Ex-FBI Informant Who Smeared Bidens

    Prosecutors told a California federal judge that a former FBI informant who falsely told agents that a Ukrainian energy company had paid off President Joe Biden and his son Hunter should be sentenced to six years in prison, saying he betrayed the United States by trying to influence the 2020 election even after being granted citizenship.

  • January 02, 2025

    Trump Transition Underway At Key Environmental Agencies

    President-elect Donald Trump's landing teams — tasked with aiding the upcoming transition in the White House — are busy gathering information to set the new administration on course to implement its priorities on day one.

  • January 01, 2025

    The Top 5 High Court Cases To Watch This Spring

    The U.S. Supreme Court justices will return from the winter holidays to tackle major First Amendment questions and several administrative law disputes — all arising from the Fifth Circuit — that could further change how federal agencies promulgate rules and defend them.

  • January 01, 2025

    Transportation Cases To Watch In 2025

    The Boeing Co.'s 737 Max criminal conspiracy case, consolidated D.C. Circuit litigation targeting new vehicle fuel-economy standards, and a Texas high court battle over a massive trucking accident verdict are among the cases that transportation attorneys are watching closely in 2025.

  • January 01, 2025

    Top International Trade Policy Stories To Watch In 2025

    The re-election of Donald Trump has once again put U.S. trade policy center stage, as corporate attorneys brace for the sort of tariff and dealmaking whirlwind that came to define much of Trump's first term.

  • January 01, 2025

    Gov't Contracts Cases To Watch In 2025

    Federal courts in 2025 are expected to rehear a finding underpinning a high-profile commercial item contracting dispute, to determine the allowability of contentious labor-related clauses in federal contracts, and to decide whether to back the government's aggressive enforcement of cybersecurity regulations.

  • December 23, 2024

    'Tragedy To Farce': Menendez Makes 3rd New Trial Bid

    Former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and two co-defendants, convicted of bribery in July, have made a third push for a new trial in Manhattan federal court, contending that the government's latest admission of an evidence gaffe bolstered their case.

  • December 23, 2024

    Biden Targets Chinese Chip Industry In Sweeping Trade Probe

    The Biden administration opened an investigation into China's semiconductor industry Monday, setting the stage for potential new sanctions against Beijing over its purported use of unfair trade practices to dominate the global microchip market.

  • December 20, 2024

    Israel's NSO Liable For Hacking WhatsApp, Judge Finds

    Israeli spyware maker NSO Group is liable for hacking into 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices, a California federal judge ruled Friday when granting WhatsApp's bid for a partial summary judgment win, leaving damages as the only issue to be probed during trial.

  • December 20, 2024

    Watchlist Flouts Justices' Major-Questions Ruling, Petition Says

    Four individuals backed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review the government's terrorist watchlist, saying a Fifth Circuit ruling affirming its legality eviscerated the justices' major questions doctrine.

Expert Analysis

  • Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession

    Author Photo

    About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • 4 Ways To Prepare For DOD Cyber Certification Rule

    Author Photo

    Given the U.S. Department of Justice's increased scrutiny of contractor compliance with cybersecurity requirements, it is critical that contractors take certain steps now in response to the U.S. Department of Defense's proposed Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification implementation rule, say Townsend Bourne and Lillia Damalouji at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Opinion

    AI May Limit Key Learning Opportunities For Young Attorneys

    Author Photo

    The thing that’s so powerful about artificial intelligence is also what’s most scary about it — its ability to detect patterns may curtail young attorneys’ chance to practice the lower-level work of managing cases, preventing them from ever honing the pattern recognition skills that undergird creative lawyering, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.

  • A Class Action Trend Tests Limit Of Courts' Equity Powers

    Author Photo

    A troubling trend has developed in federal class action litigation as some counsel and judges attempt to push injunctive relief classes under Rule 23(b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure beyond the traditional limits of federal courts' equitable powers, say attorneys at Jones Day.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: September Lessons

    Author Photo

    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy identifies practice tips from four recent class certification rulings involving denial of Medicare reimbursements, automobile insurance disputes, veterans' rights and automobile defects.

  • IP Concerns For Manufacturing Semiconductors In Low Orbit

    Author Photo

    With space habitation companies working to launch private space stations in the near future, semiconductor manufacturers aiming to execute research and development in low or microgravity must consider the unique claim drafting and patent protection issues that will emerge, says Greg Miraglia at Quinn Emanuel.

  • $200M RTX Deal Underscores Need For M&A Due Diligence

    Author Photo

    RTX's settlement with regulators for violating defense export regulations offers valuable compliance lessons, showcasing the perils of insufficient due diligence during mergers and acquisitions transactions along with the need to ensure remediation measures are fully implemented following noncompliance, say Thad McBride and Faith Dibble at Bass Berry.

  • Taking Stock Of FCC's New Spectrum Rule For Drones

    Author Photo

    While an order recently adopted by the Federal Communications Commission is intended to provide drones with rapid access to a limited amount of spectrum in the 5030-5091 megahertz band, the commission envisions an incremental approach to full usage that will play out over the course of the coming months and years, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Series

    Round-Canopy Parachuting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Similar to the practice of law, jumping from an in-flight airplane with nothing but training and a few yards of parachute silk is a demanding and stressful endeavor, and the experience has bolstered my legal practice by enhancing my focus, teamwork skills and sense of perspective, says Thomas Salerno at Stinson.

  • Navigating Restrictions Following Biotech Bill House Passage

    Author Photo

    Ahead of the BIOSECURE Act’s potential enactment, companies that obtain equipment from certain Chinese biotechnology companies should consider whether the act would restrict their ability to enter into contracts with the U.S. government and what steps they might take in response, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Dealmaker Lessons From CFIUS' New Enforcement Webpage

    Author Photo

    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ recently launched webpage, which details the actions — and inactions — that led to enforcement activity, provides important insights for dealmakers about filing requirements, mitigation commitments and the cost of noncompliance, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners

    Author Photo

    Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

    Author Photo

    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

  • How Increased Sanctions Scrutiny Is Affecting Debt Markets

    Author Photo

    U.S. sanctions and export control regulators have recently taken several steps that broaden financial sector oversight, and banks, lenders and borrowers must adapt their syndication and risk assessment processes in different ways or risk incurring substantial penalties, say Cristina Brayton-Lewis and Kerrick Seay at White & Case.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

    Author Photo

    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Aerospace & Defense archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!