On June 17, 2010, the Federal Circuit majority ruled in M. Maropakis Carpentry, Inc. v. U.S. that it had no jurisdiction over the contractor’s defense, based on excusable delay, to the Navy’s liquidated damages claim for late completion, because the contractor had not filed a fully compliant “claim” under the Contract Disputes Act “CDA” (41
June 2010
Yet Another Fraud Case Against a GSA Schedule Contractor
On June 16, 2010, the media reported that a False Claims Act case had been filed by a whistleblower against Oracle Corporation alleging that the company had failed to disclose deep discounts given to the most favored commercial customers. The Department of Justice has intervened and unsealed the relator’s complaint. The Government has not yet filed…
Contractors Should Be Aware of Possible Increase in Suspensions and Debarments
Contractors, regardless of size and no matter how “indispensable” they think they are to their Government customers, should be prepared for a possible up tick in suspension and debarment (S/D) activity in the next year. Congress has taken an increased interest in S/D, requiring in the FY 2009 DoD Authorization Act that the Interagency Committee …
Recent Settlement in IT Kickback Suits: A New Clause for Justice?
On May 25, 2010, the Justice Department announced an $87.5 million settlement with EMC for alleged false claims associated with EMC’s GSA Schedule contract. The settlement comes out of a series of qui tam suits filed against IT companies and systems integration consultants by relators Norman Rille and Neal Roberts in the Eastern District of Arkansas…