Williams & Connolly’s reputation for handling “bet-the-company” litigation extends to the firm’s work in aerospace and defense. For decades, the firm has represented some of the world’s largest aerospace and defense companies, and their leadership, in internal and governmental investigations, contract-related disputes, and complex civil, criminal and administrative litigation.
The aerospace and defense industry is a highly competitive and carefully regulated sector that faces a myriad of issues against an ever-changing regulatory landscape. Our lawyers have significant experience with the wide variety of laws governing the relationships between contractors, their competitors and teaming partners, and state and federal governments, and the firm frequently handles investigations and litigation for contractors doing business with all major civilian and defense federal agencies and with numerous state governments.
Representative Experience
A sampling of matters the firm has handled includes representing:
- A Fortune 500 company with respect to an aviation products liability claim.
- A significant government contractor in civil False Claims Act qui tam litigation and related investigations and proceedings.
- A prominent defense contractor in claims of alleged retaliation against former employees in violation of the False Claims Act.
- The founder and CEO of a defense contractor in qui tam litigation alleging violation of the False Claims Act with respect to various U.S. Army contracts.
- An aeronautics company in defending an enforcement action brought by the government of a European country.
- A defense contractor in a False Claims Act action concerning alleged false claims submissions in conjunction with aircraft pricing.
- A major defense contractor in internal investigations regarding a series of major procurement projects.
- An aerospace and defense company in an appellate case regarding whether federal law preempts a state-law products liability claim asserting negligent design and manufacture of an aircraft engine.
- A former senior executive of a transportation company in an FCPA investigation involving South Africa.
- A security company in an internal investigation concerning compliance with certain government contracting regulations in the context of overseas Defense Base Act insurance.
- An aerospace and defense contractor in an internal investigation regarding watercraft technology.
- A defense contractor specializing in protective gear in a government investigation.
- A global defense contractor involved in a years-long False Claims Act investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) relating to a multi-billion-dollar procurement by the government of military hardware components.
- A leading international space tourism company in various contract-based and other disputes relating to private space travel to the International Space Station involving matters of Russian, Swedish, Nevada, and Virginia statutory, corporate, and common law.
- An aerospace manufacturer in seeking to stop the misappropriation of its trade secrets for specialized fasteners.
- A senior director of a multinational aerospace corporation with respect to executive compensation negotiation.
- A major aerospace and defense contractor in a prime-sub contract dispute pending in federal district court against another large, U.S.-based government contractor. The dispute involves undefinitized contract actions to provide services to the U.S. government relating to Department of Defense (DOD) operations in Afghanistan.
- A defense contractor in commercial litigation related to a DOD-related joint venture.
- A former senior government official in the Department of Defense in civil litigation and Congressional investigations related to U.S. national security policy.