1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |D.C. Circuit Creates Split over the Reach of the First-to-File Bar

D.C. Circuit Creates Split over the Reach of the First-to-File Bar

Client Alert | 1 min read | 04.18.14

In U.S. ex rel. Shea v. Verizon Co., the D.C. Circuit held that (1) two complaints may be "related" even if they involve different agencies or contracts, (2) the bar applies even when the same relator filed the earlier action, and (3) it continues to operate even after the earlier-filed action is resolved. The third holding (which drew a dissent) conflicts with dicta from two other circuits and the Fourth Circuit's 2013 opinion in U.S. ex rel. Carter v. Halliburton Co., petition for cert. filed (discussed here), holding that the first-to-file bar only applies while the earlier action is still pending.

Insights

Client Alert | 2 min read | 11.11.26

President Trump Nominates Peter Feldman to Serve as CPSC Chairman and Commissioner

On November 10, 2026, President Trump nominated Peter A. Feldman to serve as Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and to serve another seven-year term as Commissioner. The nominations signal the administration's intent to maintain continuity of leadership at the CPSC during a period of heightened regulatory activity. ...