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Bad Faith Conduct Pervades Contract

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 04.25.07

Judge Allegra of the Court of Federal Claims in a lengthy opinion in North Star Alaska Housing Corp v. U.S. (Apr. 2, 2007) finds that the Army's actions and attitudes soured a long-term contract with a housing project contractor and equated to bad faith. Among other things, the court faulted the Army for using its discretion to increase the costs of the contractor's performance, changing contract interpretations midstream to reduce the contractor's income, holding incentive payments hostage, denying meritorious claims to leverage others, and allowing the program personnel to dictate contracting positions to the contracting officers.

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 04.25.24

JUST RELEASED: EPA’s Bold New Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Collaboration Policy

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) just issued its new Strategic Civil-Criminal Enforcement Policy, setting the stage for the new manner in which the agency manages its pollution investigations. David M. Uhlmann, the head of OECA, signed the Policy memorandum on April 17, 2024, in order to ensure that EPA’s civil and criminal enforcement offices collaborate efficiently and consistently in cases across the nation. The Policy states, “EPA must exercise enforcement discretion reasonably when deciding whether a particular matter warrants criminal, civil, or administrative enforcement. Criminal enforcement should be reserved for the most egregious violations.” Uhlmann repeated this statement during a luncheon on April 23, 2024, while also emphasizing the new level of energy this collaborative effort has brought to the enforcement programs....