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Gov't Scrutiny of Higher Education Institutions Continues

Client Alert | 1 min read | 09.12.12

On September 5, following a string of recent cases involving government scrutiny of academic institutions, the Second Circuit affirmed that Cornell University and a professor at the school had violated the FCA by submitting false claims in applications for federal grants. In a decision that should raise eyebrows in the higher education community, the court held that, because the research grant at issue "did not produce a tangible benefit" to the government and because "the government has entirely lost its opportunity to award the grant money to a recipient who would have used the money as the government intended," the proper measure of damages is the full amount of the grant.


Insights

Client Alert | 3 min read | 09.13.24

SEC Disbands its Climate and ESG Enforcement Task Force

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reportedly recently dissolved its Climate and ESG Enforcement Task Force (the Task Force). The Task Force was part of SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s broader push to increase investors’ access to environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) information about public companies and registered investment companies. The dissolution of the Climate and ESG Enforcement Task Force comes after three years marked by industry resistance and a mixed record in the courts. Prior to the Task Force’s dissolution, the agency removed ESG from its annual Examination Priorities Report, which provides areas of particular focus during SEC examinations. While the Task Force has been dissolved, the SEC is still pursuing a number of its proposed ESG and climate-related rules....