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Whistleblower's FCA Claims Fail Public Disclosure and First-to-File Bars

Client Alert | 1 min read | 04.01.13

In U.S. ex rel. Beauchamp v. Academi Training Center, Inc. (E.D. Va. Mar. 21, 2013), in which C&M represented the defendant, the court dismissed all claims that Academi had violated the False Claims Act by allegedly falsifying its labor invoices and failing to qualify Afghanistan-based security personnel on certain weapons properly. The court held that public disclosure barred both claims because they either had been publicly disclosed in the media or in an earlier qui tam action brought against Academi (resulting in a judgment in favor of Academi with C&M defending), but also that the labor claim was precluded by the first-to-file bar because it was based on the underlying facts in a related and earlier-filed qui tam suit that was pending when the Beauchamp complaint was filed.


Insights

Client Alert | 5 min read | 09.03.26

DOT Final Rule Narrows Airline Delay and Cancellation Reporting Obligation Under FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published a final rule amending 14 CFR Part 234 that fundamentally changes how airlines report the causes of flight delays and cancellations. Effective October 19, 2026, the rule implements Section 511(b) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 by creating a new reporting category, the “Section 511(b) category,” for ten specific events that Congress determined are not attributable to airline control. The rule simultaneously narrows the existing "Air Carrier" reporting category by expressly excluding those same ten events....