Aerospace & Defense

  • January 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Calls Newman's Constitutional Challenge 'Meritless'

    The Federal Circuit Judicial Council urged the D.C. Circuit on Thursday to reject U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's argument that the suspension her colleagues have imposed on her for refusing to participate in an investigation into her fitness to serve on the bench is unconstitutional.

  • January 16, 2025

    3M Hit With PFAS Suit Over Wash. Resident's Cancer Diagnosis

    A woman who lives near the Spokane International Airport filed suit Thursday against 3M, DuPont and various other companies over alleged "forever chemical" contamination of her drinking water, claiming her adult son has developed cancer after decades of exposure.

  • January 16, 2025

    Trump EPA Pick Faces Climate Questions, Dodges Details

    President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday tried to steer clear of controversy at a Senate confirmation hearing, taking a conciliatory tone, deferring judgment on specific matters and promising to exercise independence.

  • January 16, 2025

    Spirit Aero Hit With Chancery Suit Over $8.3B Boeing Merger

    A Spirit Aerosystems stockholder has launched a proposed class suit in the Delaware Chancery Court challenging the company's $8.3 billion all-stock acquisition by its largest customer, Boeing, announced in July 2024, citing disclosure failures and other concerns.

  • January 16, 2025

    Cleveland-Cliffs Sets Sights On US Steel, And More Rumors

    Cleveland-Cliffs has re-emerged as a potential suitor to purchase U.S. Steel after President Joe Biden blocked Nippon's planned purchase, TikTok could be sold to Elon Musk, and Prada is among potential suitors eyeing Versace. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • January 16, 2025

    Menendez Judge Urges Lawyers To Streamline Wife's Trial

    A Manhattan federal judge urged attorneys on Thursday to cut down their 10-week estimate for the upcoming bribery trial of former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez's wife, Nadine, warning against "boring everybody" with a slog of custodial witnesses

  • January 15, 2025

    GE Investors' $362.5M Settlement Gets Initial Greenlight

    Investors in manufacturing giant General Electric Co. have gotten an initial nod for their proposed $362.5 million eve-of-trial deal to end long-running claims that the company fraudulently concealed cash flow problems, allegedly resulting in plummeting shares after its fiscal woes were disclosed.

  • January 15, 2025

    Outgoing FCC Chair Touts 'Wins On The Board'

    With less than a week left in office, the chief of the Biden-era Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday highlighted the accomplishments of her tenure, including efforts to connect more Americans and advance space-based communications, but warned that a number of problems ranging from cybersecurity threats to the digital divide persist.

  • January 15, 2025

    DOD Chief's Secret Hospitalizations Risked National Security

    A U.S. Department of Defense watchdog has called for the DOD to improve notification and authority transfer procedures for when its leader is incapacitated, saying secrecy around Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's 2023 and 2024 hospitalizations had risked national security.

  • January 15, 2025

    3M Wants Conn. AG's PFAS Case Paused For 2nd Circ. Appeal

    3M has urged a Connecticut Superior Court to stay the state's environmental lawsuit seeking damages for "forever chemical" pollution the company allegedly created, saying the Second Circuit should first review a federal judge's order remanding the case to state court.

  • January 15, 2025

    Shipbuilder Inks $1M FCA Deal To End Worker Eligibility Row

    A Louisiana-based shipbuilder agreed to fork over more than $1 million to settle claims that it failed to verify several workers' employment eligibility through E-verify, and knowingly billed the U.S. Coast Guard for that labor, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.

  • January 15, 2025

    GAO Backs Protest Over Air Force's Use Of Contracting Model

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office urged the Air Force to revisit a solicitation for pilot augmentation support services in Europe and Africa, sustaining an Ohio company's protest that it used a contracting model federal agencies are supposed to try to avoid.

  • January 15, 2025

    Boeing Vexes Judge In 737 Max Records Flap With Airline

    The Boeing Co. can't use a now-defunct South African airline's loss of records to dodge a suit over fallout from a 737 Max airplane deal, a Washington federal judge has said, chiding the aerospace giant for offering thin circumstantial evidence of intent without any "smoking gun."

  • January 15, 2025

    Retired Admiral's Bribery Trial Postponed To May

    A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday postponed a bribery trial for a retired Navy admiral accused of steering a government contract to two executives of a New York company, finding the volume of discovery material in the case justified the delay.

  • January 15, 2025

    SpaceX Suit Must Fail, Calif. Coastal Commission Tells Judge

    The California Coastal Commission urged a federal judge to throw out a SpaceX lawsuit alleging it has unlawfully tried to stymie the company's rocket launches and engaged in "naked political discrimination" against CEO Elon Musk, arguing the company's claims don't pass muster.

  • January 14, 2025

    FBI Deletes China-Backed Malware From Windows Computers

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation and French law enforcement and security partners have deleted malware used by Chinese government-backed hackers from thousands of computers worldwide, including home computers in the U.S., the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced Tuesday.

  • January 14, 2025

    BofA Says Military Interest Law, Not Bank, To Blame In Suit

    Bank of America has hit back at a class action suit accusing the financial giant of violating an interest cap law for military service members, arguing that the suit fails to allege any actual violations of the law and that Congress considered and decided against the interest rate requirement that the plaintiffs seek to impose.

  • January 14, 2025

    DOJ Says Software Co.'s $12.7M Copyright Win Is Sufficient

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday defended a judge's decision to award a software developer $12.7 million after a federal contractor made unauthorized copies of its software, telling the Federal Circuit the award was correctly calculated.

  • January 14, 2025

    FAR Council Wants Uniform View Of Controlled Information

    The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council on Tuesday issued a pair of long-awaited proposed regulations, seeking to define and protect controlled unclassified information across the government and to update rules related to conflicts of interest involving contractors.

  • January 14, 2025

    Biden Order Outlines Steps For Bolstering AI Infrastructure

    President Joe Biden issued an executive order Tuesday that aims to shape the country into an artificial intelligence infrastructure leader by working with the private sector to build data centers.

  • January 14, 2025

    OIG Wants Corps' Overruns, Delays To Inform Future Projects

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regularly faced cost increases and delays on four military construction projects and should take steps to learn from and mitigate such problems, a federal watchdog said in a new report.

  • January 14, 2025

    Biden Finalizes Ban On Chinese, Russian Connected Car Tech

    The Biden administration on Tuesday finalized a rule banning the import and sale in the U.S. of passenger vehicles with certain connectivity components made in China or Russia that the administration says could pose national security risks to American infrastructure and consumers.

  • January 14, 2025

    DOD Chief Nom Pledges 'Lethality' Focus Amid Dem Criticism

    Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth promised Tuesday that he would refocus the military on "lethality," as Democratic senators hammered him on issues such as his criticism of women serving in the military and an alleged lack of relevant management experience.

  • January 14, 2025

    Lockheed, CNA Pause Coverage Suit Amid Settlement Talks

    A Maryland federal court agreed Tuesday to continue pausing a dispute between Lockheed Martin Corp. and a CNA Financial unit over coverage for lawsuits accusing the aerospace and defense giant of environmental contamination, as the parties negotiate a potential coverage settlement.

  • January 14, 2025

    Nadine Menendez Trial Might Be Longer Than Ex-Senator's

    Prosecutors and attorneys for Nadine Menendez told a Manhattan federal judge that her trial might last longer than that of her husband, former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, with the parties still at odds over stipulations about evidence.

Expert Analysis

  • DOD Cybersecurity Rule Will Burden And Benefit Contractors

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    The U.S. Department of Defense’s cybersecurity certification program, finalized in October, will pose tricky and expensive challenges for contractors, given its many requirements and the scarcity of third-party assessors who can provide certification, but companies may ultimately benefit from a narrower pool of competitors, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • 5 Areas Congress May Investigate After GOP Election Wins

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    With Republicans poised to take control of Congress in addition to the executive branch next year, private companies can expect an unprecedented uptick in congressional investigations focused on five key areas, including cryptocurrency and healthcare, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • US Intellectual Property-Based Sanctions Could Be Imminent

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    A recent presidential delegation suggests that regulators may be ready to wield the sanctions authority found in the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act, which has been unutilized for the first 22 months of its life, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Loper Bright Offers New Materiality Defense To FCA Liability

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bight Enterprises v. Raimondo, ending Chevron deference, may have created a new defense to False Claims Act liability by providing the opportunity to argue that a given regulation is not material to the government's payment decision, says Tanner Cook at Husch Blackwell.

  • 2nd Circ. Halkbank Ruling Shifts Foreign Immunity Landscape

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    Following the Second Circuit’s recent common law immunity ruling in U.S. v. Halkbank, foreign state-owned banks, wealth funds and other entities now must seriously consider the risk of criminal liability for commercial activity that violates U.S. laws, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 9 Considerations Around Proposed Connected Vehicle Ban

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    Stakeholders should consider several aspects of the U.S. Department of Commerce's recent proposal to ban U.S. imports and sales of vehicles incorporating certain connectivity components made in China or Russia, including exempted transactions and vehicle hardware imports, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session

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    As Congress begins its five-week post-election lame duck session, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig break down the legislative priorities and which proposals can be expected to pass.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Opinion

    Preserving The FCA Is Crucial In Trump's 2nd Term

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    While the Trump administration may pursue weaker False Claims Act enforcement, it remains an essential tool in safeguarding public funds and maintaining corporate accountability, so now is not the time to undermine ethical behavior, or reduce protections and incentives for whistleblowers, says Adam Pollock at Pollock Cohen.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Title VII Compliance Lessons From Raytheon Age Bias Suit

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    A Texas federal court’s recent refusal to dismiss age discrimination claims from a former Raytheon employee, terminated after he admitted to acts that Raytheon says violated its harassment policy, nonetheless illustrates strategies employers can use to protect themselves when facing competing Title VII workplace obligations, say attorneys at Segal McCambridge.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • 6 Steps To Ready Defense Contractors For Cybersecurity Rule

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    Following the U.S. Department of Defense's final rule establishing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program in federal regulations, Sandeep Kathuria at Ice Miller provides a refresher on CMMC and identifies best practices for defense contractors awaiting full implementation of CMMC.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

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