Curing Claim Certification Defects No Longer Limited to Technical Defects
Client Alert | 1 min read | 01.08.20
In DAI Global, LLC, FKA Development Alternatives, Inc. v. U.S. (Dec. 27, 2019), the Federal Circuit reversed the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals’s dismissal of five defectively-certified claims for lack of jurisdiction. The Board had dismissed the claims because their certification bore no resemblance to the required statutory language, thereby rendering the claims unsalvageable. On appeal, the Federal Circuit focused on the plain language of the Contract Disputes Act in holding “that § 7103(b)(3) does not limit [certification] defects to those that are technical in nature nor does it limit a contractor’s right to correct a defect if the initial certification was made with ‘intentional, reckless, or negligent disregard for the applicable certification requirements.’” Although contractors should continue to be diligent in properly certifying their claims when appropriate, this decision eliminates the distinction between defective and technically-defective certifications for the purpose of perfecting jurisdiction.
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Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.21.25
On November 7, 2025, in Thornton v. National Academy of Sciences, No. 25-cv-2155, 2025 WL 3123732 (D.D.C. Nov. 7, 2025), the District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a False Claims Act (FCA) retaliation complaint on the basis that the plaintiff’s allegations that he was fired after blowing the whistle on purported illegally discriminatory use of federal funding was not sufficient to support his FCA claim. This case appears to be one of the first filed, and subsequently dismissed, following Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s announcement of the creation of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative on May 19, 2025, which “strongly encourages” private individuals to file lawsuits under the FCA relating to purportedly discriminatory and illegal use of federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in violation of Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (Jan. 21, 2025). In this case, the court dismissed the FCA retaliation claim and rejected the argument that an organization could violate the FCA merely by “engaging in discriminatory conduct while conducting a federally funded study.” The analysis in Thornton could be a sign of how forthcoming arguments of retaliation based on reporting allegedly fraudulent DEI activity will be analyzed in the future.
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
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