1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |Supreme Court to Rule on Seal Rule

Supreme Court to Rule on Seal Rule

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 06.02.16

The Supreme Court has granted review in State Farm Fire and Cas. Co. v. U.S. ex rel. Rigsby to address the applicable standard for dismissal in False Claims Act cases when whistleblowers, in violation of the statute’s requirements, make public the allegations in their complaint while it is under seal and being investigated by the government. The Court will address a split in which circuits have applied (1) a bright-line rule of dismissal, (2) a rule that considers whether the violation frustrates the congressional goals served by the seal requirement, and (3) a balancing test that focuses on whether the violation actually harms the government.

Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 03.05.26

DOL’s Proposed Independent Contractor Rule Reverts to Prioritize Two Core Factors – Likely Limiting Misclassification Claims by Contractors

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....