The Latest Insights into Suspension and Debarment Activities Across the Federal Government
Client Alert | 1 min read | 02.05.21
The annual Interagency Suspension and Debarment Committee (ISDC) recently issued its annual report to Congress. The report, found here, contains details describing improvements to the federal suspension and debarment process and a summary of each agency’s suspension and debarment activities in Fiscal Year 2019. Throughout FY2019, the ISDC pursued a strengthened understanding and awareness of suspension and debarment activities across the federal acquisition and financial assistance communities, and continued to focus on modernizing/streamlining lead agency coordination. Otherwise, while the total numbers of referrals and suspensions increased in FY2019 compared to FY2018, proposed debarments and debarments continued to decline. In addition, the ISDC notes that from FY2018 to FY2019 agencies better utilized pre-notice letters to notify individuals or entities that the Suspension and Debarment Official (SDO) was considering SDO action, allowing the recipient an opportunity to respond before formal SDO action.
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Client Alert | 2 min read | 11.14.25
Claim construction is a key stage of most patent litigations, where the court must decide the meaning of any disputed terms in the patent claims. Generally, claim terms are given their plain and ordinary meaning except under two circumstances: (1) when the patentee acts as its own lexicographer and sets out a definition for the term; and (2) when the patentee disavows the full scope of the term either in the specification or during prosecution. Thorner v. Sony Comput. Ent. Am. LLC, 669 F.3d 1362, 1365 (Fed. Cir. 2012). The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Aortic Innovations LLC v. Edwards Lifesciences Corp. highlights that patentees can act as their own lexicographers through consistent, interchangeable usage of terms across the specification, effectively defining terms by implication.
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.14.25
Microplastics Update: Regulatory and Litigation Developments in 2025
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.13.25
