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Federal Circuit Opens Split Over Paralegal Reimbursement Under EAJA

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 01.12.07

In a 2-1 decision which rejected a decision of another circuit, Judges Dyk and Rader in Richlin Security Serv. Co. v. Chertoff (Fed. Cir. Dec. 26, 2006) held that, under the Equal Access to Justice Act, prevailing parties can only recover the actual cost to the parties' law firms of paralegal services, not the market rates billed by the firms. Judge Plager in dissent found an analogous Supreme Court precedent convincing and argued that a prior Federal Circuit decision had already held to the contrary, requiring en banc reconsideration.

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Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.19.25

Buying Peace: The Importance of Releasing FCA Liability When Resolving Criminal Allegations of Fraud Against the Government

The facts before the Third Circuit in the recently decided case of Patel v. United States illustrate how parties can put themselves in a bind if they make factual admissions when resolving a criminal case involving fraud on the government while not simultaneously resolving the government’s civil claims under the False Claims Act (FCA) for the same underlying conduct....