Payback: Federal Circuit Requires Government to Reimburse under WWII-Era Indemnification Clauses
Client Alert | 1 min read | 05.15.14
In Shell Oil Co. v. United States, No. 2013-5051, 2014 WL 1661493 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 28, 2014), the Federal Circuit held that the Government must indemnify WWII-era contractors for CERCLA costs incurred as a result of environmental damage arising out of certain contracts to provide aviation gasoline (avgas) required for the war effort, under the plain language of the "Taxes" clauses in the avgas contracts. The decision, which reversed the Court of Federal Claims (discussed here), may encourage other contractors to seek Government contract-based indemnification under similar contract provisions such as "hold harmless" clauses in facilities contracts cases (Ford and DuPont) and indemnification clauses authorized under Public Law 85-804 (also discussed here, here, and here).
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Client Alert | 4 min read | 03.05.26
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed another revision to independent contractor regulations, one that would provide for more leeway in classifying workers as contractors. DOL’s proposed rule, published on February 26, 2026, would rescind the Biden DOL’s March 2024 independent contractor regulation and reinstate a framework substantially tracking the prior Trump rule of January 2021. The proposed rule would also apply the narrower analysis to worker classifications under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA). The comment period closes in late April 2026; until then, the 2024 rule remains in effect for purposes of private litigation.
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