Prime Pulls Rug Out From Under Subcontractor Appeal
Client Alert | 1 min read | 09.08.14
The ASBCA's dismissal of an appeal in Binghamton Simulator Co. provides a stark reminder that subcontractors generally do not have privity of contract with the government and therefore cannot appeal contracting officer final decisions – even those that directly affect the sub's rights – unless that appeal is in the name of the prime and with the prime's consent and cooperation. The substantive dispute in this appeal related to the extent of government rights in software provided by Binghamton, and Binghamton had a provision in its subcontract that may have required the prime to sponsor the appeal, but the ASBCA held these were irrelevant because the prime refused to confirm its sponsorship of the appeal to the Board.
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Client Alert | 3 min read | 06.12.26
DOJ Guidance Backs Away From Disparate Impact Liability
On June 9, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a formal opinion concluding that the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission’s (EEOC) existing interpretations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) disparate-impact liability, including the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP), are unconstitutional. According to the opinion, EEOC’s prior interpretations contemplate liability based on disproportionately adverse effects alone, without regard to an employer’s likely intent, rather than treating disparate impact as an evidentiary mechanism to “smoke out” intentional discrimination. DOJ found that this approach functions as a “qualified racial-proportionality mandate” that places “a racial thumb on the scales, often requiring employers to evaluate the racial outcomes of their policies, and to make decisions based on (because of) those racial outcomes.” The opinion fulfills one mandate of Executive Order 14281, which rejected disparate-impact liability insofar as it “creates a near insurmountable presumption that unlawful discrimination exists wherever there are any differences in outcomes among different [demographic groups].”
Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.12.26
Auto Dealers: The FTC Is Back in the Driver’s Seat — Warning Letters Signal Renewed Federal Scrutiny
Client Alert | 13 min read | 06.12.26
Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.12.26
