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"Certain" Means No Weasel Words

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 09.30.05

The Contract Disputes Act requires a contractor to specify a "sum certain" that it claims. The contractor in Sandoval Plumbing Repair, Inc. (ASBCA Sept. 14, 2005), specified a dollar amount but learned that by adding words such as "no less than" or "in excess of" before a specified amount makes the claim "uncertain" and requires dismissal.

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Client Alert | 4 min read | 12.31.25

Raising the Bar: New York Expands Consumer Protection Law with FAIR Business Practices Act

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law the most significant update to New York’s consumer protection law in 45 years — the Fostering Affordability and Integrity through Reasonable Business Practices Act, or FAIR Business Practices Act — expanding the scope of the state’s authority to now challenge unfair and abusive business practices. The measure, backed by New York Attorney General (“AG”) Letitia James and signed on December 19, 2025, amends New York’s General Business Law § 349, giving regulators new tools to protect consumers and promote fair marketplace practices....