Supply Chain: An Overview, Legal Risks and Opportunities (Part 1)

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Eric Kadel and Sharon Cohen Levin, Co-Heads of S&C’s National Security Practice, Tom White, Co-Head of the Firm’s International Arbitration and Global Dispute Resolution Practice, and Litigation Special Counsel Andrew DeFilippis, provide an overview on supply chain enforcement and compliance. They explore key enforcement risks stemming from recent tariffs and discuss the potential for civil litigation under the False Claims Act. A preview of the conversation can be found in the Q+A below. Andrew: Customs fraud and tariff evasion are now listed as the Department’s second-highest white-collar criminal enforcement priority. What does that signal about how the government is approaching these issues today? Sharon: It’s a fundamental shift. For years, customs-related violations were typically addressed as regulatory infractions, or occasionally, in egregious cases as criminal prosecutions involving false statements, conspiracy to defraud the government, or smuggling. Those violations didn’t even make the list of priorities. But the posture today is markedly different. DOJ has identified customs and tariffs fraud as a top corporate criminal enforcement priority, signaling a shift for companies with global supply chains. Andrew: What makes the FCA such a powerful statute in the trade context? Tom: The False Claims Act is fundamentally about ensuring the government receives what it's owed. One thing that makes it so potent, especially in the trade space, is the low standard for triggering liability. The FCA doesn’t require proof of specific intent to defraud. Instead, companies can be held liable if they submit false information “knowingly”—which includes acting in reckless disregard or deliberate ignorance of the truth. That’s a lower threshold than what’s required for criminal prosecution under criminal smuggling or IEEPA’s criminal provisions.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Annie Ostrager, Co-Head of S&C’s Employment Law Group, and Litigation Partner Kamil Shields, discuss recent developments in False Claims Act (FCA) cases, especially in light of the current Administration’s focus. Annie and Kamil provide background on the FCA and explain its role in investigations of and actions focused on alleged fraud in connection with government programs. They also cover recent notable settlements, with recoveries amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. They also delve into Executive Order 14173, which has implications for the use of the FCA, focusing on antidiscrimination laws. The discussion includes recent court actions and the administration’s emphasis on investigating and penalizing illegal DEI practices in the private sector.  To learn more about risks and opportunities under the FCA in the new tariff environment, read Partner Thomas White and Special Counsel Andrew DeFilippis’ article in Bloomberg Law “New Tariff Environment Poses Big Risk and Opportunity Under FCA.”

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Annie Ostrager, Co-Head of S&C’s Employment Law Group, Alex Gross, a partner in the Firm’s Litigation Group, and associate Sabrina Solow explore strategic considerations for a company involved in a trade secrets case. Topics include the role of injunctive relief, the impact of mandatory disclosure regimes and related internal investigations

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Annie Ostrager, Co-Head of S&C’s Employment Law Group, Alex Gross, a partner in the Firm’s Litigation Group, and associate Sabrina Solow, discuss steps companies can take in the employment context to protect against disclosure of trade secrets. They explore protections that can mitigate risk when an employee leaves, including electronic measures to limit or disable access to information; policies, procedures, and contractual requirements, such as nondisclosure agreements; and monitoring activities of a competitor who has hired former employees.  They also discuss how to limit the risk of new employees bringing trade secrets from their former employer.  Annie, Alex and Sabrina also discuss the importance of training and culture, including reminding employees that they do not own trade secrets they are privy to or contribute to in their work. 

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Annie Ostrager, Co-Head of S&C’s Employment Law Group, Alex Gross, a partner in the Firm’s Litigation Group, and associate Sabrina Solow, explore the interaction between trade secret litigation and non-compete agreements. They discuss how non-compete provisions in employment contracts can help mitigate the risk of employees taking confidential information to competitors and the challenges associated with enforcing non-competes. Annie, Alex and Sabrina also cover the concept of “inevitable disclosure” of confidential information, recent court cases related to non-competes and trade secrets, and the implications of the FTC's efforts to invalidate non-compete agreements on a federal level.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Annie Ostrager, Co-Head of S&C’s Employment Law Group, Alex Gross, a partner in the Firm’s Litigation Group, and associate Sabrina Solow, focus on the current trade secret litigation landscape, including recent decisions in the Second, Third and Seventh Circuits relating to an important measure of damages.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Annie Ostrager, Co-Head of S&C’s Employment Law Group, Alex Gross, a partner in the Firm’s Litigation Group, and associate Sabrina Solow, provide a background discussion on trade secrets. They explore how companies can find themselves involved in trade secret disputes and discuss the relevant statutory framework, including the Uniform Trade Secrets Act and the Defend Trade Secrets Act.  Annie, Alex and Sabrina highlight the importance of understanding both state and federal laws to protect trade secrets and discuss the forms of relief available, such as injunctive and monetary relief.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Jeff Scott and Julia Malkina, Co-Heads of S&C’s Securities Litigation Practice, discuss the upcoming November 13 oral argument in NVIDIA Corp. v. E. Ohman J:or Fonder AB and the potential implications for companies’ securities-litigation exposure. 

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Jeff Scott and Julia Malkina, Co-Heads of S&C’s Securities Litigation Practice, discuss the upcoming November 6 oral argument in Facebook v. Amalgamated Bank and its implications for companies’ risk disclosures and potential litigation regarding those disclosures.  The issue before the Court is whether a company’s risk disclosures are false or misleading when they do not disclose that a risk has materialized in the past—and if so, under what circumstances. Public companies routinely make such risk disclosures, so this case has the potential to have significant effects both on companies’ disclosure practices and potential exposure.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights, Samantha Hynes, a partner in S&C’s Antitrust Group, and Brad Smith, special counsel in the Antitrust Group, discuss the impact of the Federal Trade Commission’s final rule that made substantial modifications to the form used to report transactions requiring a premerger filing under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. The new form will require substantially more information and documents than are currently required.