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Contractor’s Unwaivable CDA Right to Board Review

Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.05.17

In Ikhana, LLC (ASBCA Nos. 60462 et al., Oct. 18, 2017), the Board held that a contractor’s right to CDA appeal cannot be indirectly waived by an assignment of the underlying claims to a surety. Following a termination for default, Ikhana appealed several previously submitted claims (deemed denied). The surety and the Government, believing that Ikhana had assigned those claims to the surety, brokered a settlement agreement to withdraw those appeals and finish performance. The Board held that, regardless of whether Ikhana had assigned its claims, an assignment cannot indirectly “waive” a contractor’s statutory right to Board review under the CDA. The Board distinguished its earlier decision in Safeco Ins. Co. of Am. (ASBCA No. 52107), which upheld a surety’s right to appeal assigned claims while the government attempted to nullify the contractor’s assignment because––critically––the contractor in Safeco was uninterested in pursuing that appeal.

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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....

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