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.
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Client Alert | 7 min read | 05.21.26
A New Playbook for M&A in the EU: The European Commission's Draft Merger Guidelines - 10 Key Changes
On 30 April 2026, the European Commission published draft merger guidelines that will replace both the 2004 Horizontal Merger Guidelines and the 2008 Non-Horizontal Merger Guidelines, consolidating them into a single analytical framework.
Client Alert | 3 min read | 05.21.26
Judge Jennifer Choe-Groves Takes Over Several DNJ Hatch-Waxman Cases
Client Alert | 7 min read | 05.19.26
American and Allied Cyber Agencies Issue First Joint Guidance on Securing Agentic AI
Client Alert | 3 min read | 05.19.26

