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.
Insights
Client Alert | 3 min read | 03.24.26
California Considering A Massive Expansion of Its Antitrust Laws
Legislative efforts to significantly expand California’s antitrust laws are working their way through the state legislature. The most comprehensive overhaul is Assembly Bill 1776 — the Competition and Opportunity in Markets for a Prosperous, Equitable and Transparent Economy (COMPETE) Act, introduced by Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, on March 23, 2026. AB 1776 is modeled closely after draft legislation recommended by the California Law Revision Commission (CLRC) in December. AB 1776 would not only significantly expand potential liability for single-firm conduct and monopolization but would also explicitly decouple California antitrust analysis from certain federal standards. Companies doing business in California should pay close attention to AB 1776 because of its potentially dramatic impact, including increased exposure to antitrust litigation and increased compliance costs.
Client Alert | 2 min read | 03.23.26
Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.23.26
Client Alert | 7 min read | 03.23.26
