No Separate Takings Remedy Against The Government
Client Alert | 1 min read | 09.27.06
The Federal Circuit, in Zoltek Corp. v. United States , (No. 04-5100, September 21, 2006), denies Zoltek's petition for rehearing en banc . In a clarifying comment to the dissent, the Federal Circuit explains that private parties do in fact have a right of action against the government for unauthorized use of a patent pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1498. However, any such rights are no greater than the rights against private parties, and as the Supreme Court held in Schillinger v. United States , 155 U.S. 163 (1894), Congress has not created a separate parallel takings remedy in the Court of Federal Claims. Thus, since there would be no claim for infringement against a private party under Section 1498 in this case, there is no claim for infringement against the government.
Insights
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
