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Can Employee Releases Bar False Claims Act Actions?

Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.15.06

Government contractors should take notice that recent court decisions indicate a possible shift in the law that may foretell greater success in using releases to bar False Claims Act qui tam actions by former employees. In their article “Employee Releases: A Tool Federal Contractors Can Use To Protect Themselves Against False Claims Act Liability” published in the February 21, 2006, BNA Federal Contracts Report (http://www.crowell.com/pdf/newsroom/FCR_Kunz-Goodman.pdf), Cathy Kunz and Jody Goodman of C&M discuss the jurisprudence that releases cannot be used to prevent former employees from bringing FCA actions against employers and analyze two recent decisions that diverge from this precedent and open the door for the enforcement of employee releases to bar qui tam actions.

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Client Alert | 5 min read | 07.20.26

DOJ and DHS Issue Interim Final Rule on State and Local Counter-Drone Authority Under the SAFER SKIES Act

On July 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) setting up a new federal framework that allows state, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement and correctional agencies to detect, track, and, in some cases, disable or seize drones. The rule directly affects SLTT agencies looking to stand up counter-drone programs, as well as drone and counter-drone technology companies whose products will be subject to federal review and approval. Although the IFR bypassed the Administrative Procedure Act’s standard notice-and-comment process on good cause grounds — citing the statutory 180-day deadline and urgent public safety needs — the rule is already legally binding and effective as of July 1, 2026. The Departments are nonetheless accepting post-promulgation comments through September 4, 2026....