Court Compels Government to Produce Attorney Documents and CO’s Justification for Rescinding Final Decision that Formed Basis of FCA Case
Client Alert | 1 min read | 05.09.17
On April 24, the Eastern District of Michigan compelled discovery in an FCA case, ordering the government to produce documents and testimony supporting the CO’s basis for withdrawing the Army’s final decision and demand for payment underlying an ASBCA appeal that involved "precisely the same facts." Both matters stemmed from a DCAA audit report alleging defendant BAE Systems Tactical Vehicle Systems (BAE-TVS), represented by C&M, provided defective cost or pricing data, which in turn led to the Army’s pursuit of payment and the government’s subsequent fraud claims. As a result of the CO’s rescission of the final decision alleging defective pricing, the ASBCA action was dismissed as moot; but the government persisted with the FCA action while resisting discovery into the CO’s determination. The court rejected the government’s work-product and attorney-client privilege defenses, explaining that: (1) the attorneys involved voluntarily supplied facts that formed the basis of the CO’s decision; (2) the CO’s decision resembled a non-privileged administrative adjudication; and (3) the CO was acting pursuant to "public requirements unrelated to litigation."
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Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.21.25
On November 7, 2025, in Thornton v. National Academy of Sciences, No. 25-cv-2155, 2025 WL 3123732 (D.D.C. Nov. 7, 2025), the District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a False Claims Act (FCA) retaliation complaint on the basis that the plaintiff’s allegations that he was fired after blowing the whistle on purported illegally discriminatory use of federal funding was not sufficient to support his FCA claim. This case appears to be one of the first filed, and subsequently dismissed, following Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s announcement of the creation of the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative on May 19, 2025, which “strongly encourages” private individuals to file lawsuits under the FCA relating to purportedly discriminatory and illegal use of federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in violation of Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (Jan. 21, 2025). In this case, the court dismissed the FCA retaliation claim and rejected the argument that an organization could violate the FCA merely by “engaging in discriminatory conduct while conducting a federally funded study.” The analysis in Thornton could be a sign of how forthcoming arguments of retaliation based on reporting allegedly fraudulent DEI activity will be analyzed in the future.
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.19.25
