DSS Initiative to Adopt a More Holistic Evaluation of FOCI Boards
Client Alert | 1 min read | 09.19.18
On August 31, 2018, the Defense Security Service (DSS) issued a white paper suggesting an initiative to expand the considerations it evaluates in reviewing nominations and performance of Outside Directors or Proxy Holders (OD/PHs) serving on Boards of Directors of FOCI-mitigated entities. Specifically, DSS intends to evaluate nominees for OD/PH positions not just on their personal backgrounds but also in the context of the entire Board, suggesting that it considers OD/PH Board members to be able to contribute experience beyond a national security background. While many companies already consider such factors when identifying nominees for OD/PH positions, the new initiative suggests DSS will be seeking such justifications in the review process and hints that it may require specific OD/PH training and on-going internal or external reviews of FOCI Boards and OD/PH performance. One bit of good news is a suggestion that the strict prohibition on an OD/PH having any prior relationship with the FOCI-mitigated entity may be relaxed.
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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
