Nothing to Sneeze at: Obama Administration Issues 13th EO Targeting Federal Contractors
Client Alert | 1 min read | 09.08.15
On September 7, the Obama Administration issued a new executive order requiring that federal government contractors provide paid sick leave to employees, the latest in a series of EOs targeting federal contractors, which have to date resulted in 16 new regulations (previously discussed here, here, and here). According to the White House, "[b]eginning with new contracts in 2017, workers will earn a minimum of one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked," which will provide "approximately 300,000 people working on federal contracts the new ability to earn up to seven days of paid sick leave each year."
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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
