Two recent judicial decisions involving the Trade Agreements Act (TAA) build on a trend reflecting a more favorable enforcement climate for contractors grappling with domestic preference regimes.
Earlier this year, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a qui tam action that alleged fraud in connection with country of origin requirements imposed by the TAA. United States ex rel. Folliard v. Comstor Corp., 308 F.Supp.3d 56 (D.D.C. 2018) (finding the relator failed to adequately plead that the alleged TAA noncompliance was “material” to the Government’s payment decision). The decision marked a welcome early defeat of a False Claims Act case based on the enhanced materiality and scienter requirements of the Escobar decision (more here).
Two recent federal court decisions appear to extend the trend of taking some of the bite out of TAA enforcement, and potential exposure for alleged noncompliance.
Despite this welcome news, domestic preference programs remain a key legal obligation for government contractors (and an area likely to remain under scrutiny with the Administration’s professed focus on Buy American and Hire American initiatives).
Keep reading this article at: https://governmentcontractsnavigator.com/2018/09/17/trade-agreements-act-enforcement-loses-a-couple-more-teeth/
Loyal Source Government Services LLC – a medical and support staff contactor based in Orlando, Florida – will pay $574,989 to 4,047 employees after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation determined the company violated the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA).