International Trade Bulletin - Volume 1, Issue 9
Client Alert | 1 min read | 07.10.06
Inside this issue:
- EUROPE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
- EU Anti-Dumping: The Latest Series of Anti-Dumping Measures Proposed by the EU Clearly Show the Fingerprints of a More Liberalized Policy
- Market Access: The European Commission Formally Kicked Off Its Strategic Review of EU-China Trade Relations on 7th July With a High-Profile Conference in Brussels
- CHINA IN THE SPOTLIGHT
- U.S. EXPORT CONTROLS: US-India Agreement May Give U.S.-India Tech Transfers A Yellow Light
- U.S. SANCTIONS: State Department Shifts Policies Toward Venezuela and Libya on Trade Sanctions
- TECHNOLOGY: New U.S. Legislation Could Impose Significant Penalties Against U.S. Companies that Provide Information to Internet-Restricting Countries Such as China
- CUSTOMS: Potential Backlog in U.S. Validations Causes Concern for C-TPAT Members
- TRANSPORTATION: Supporters of U.S. Department of Transport's (“DOT”) Foreign Control Proposal Seek Changes to Expand Foreign Control While Opponents Argue the Rule Already Permits Too Much Foreign Control
- ANTI-BOYCOTT OAC Issues Proposed Anti-Boycott Penalty Guidelines
Contacts
Insights
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
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.19.25
