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Supreme Court Denies Cert. in Rule 9(b) Pleading Requirements Case

Client Alert | 1 min read | 04.03.14

The Supreme Court has followed the government's recommendation (discussed in a previous bullet point and blog post) not to hear an appeal challenging the dismissal of relator's complaint in U.S. ex rel. Nathan v. Takeda Pharmaceuticals, 707 F.3d 451 (4th Cir. 2013), for failure to allege specific false claims instead of a false scheme – an issue over which the government admits there is "at least some continuing uncertainty." The Court has invited the government's views on granting cert. in another prominent FCA case, KBR, Inc. v. U.S. ex rel. Carter (addressing the scope of the FCA's first-to-file bar and the Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act) (discussed here), but the Solicitor General has not yet weighed in.


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Client Alert | 4 min read | 09.15.26

GAO Indicates Reasonable Conflict of Interest Investigation Must Include Inquiry of Involved Firm

The U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) recent decision in Viderity Inc.—Costs, B-424422.5, Sept. 1, 2026, offers useful insight into what constitutes a legally sufficient conflict of interest investigation. The decision arose in an unusual procedural posture: Viderity initially protested, alleging that an agency evaluator had a personal conflict of interest. After the agency took corrective action, Viderity filed a cost entitlement claim requesting that GAO direct the agency to reimburse Viderity’s protest costs. In evaluating that claim, GAO assessed whether Viderity’s underlying protest ground was “clearly meritorious.”...