The U.S. Supreme Court will begin its final set of oral arguments for the 2024 calendar year on Monday, addressing important legal issues ranging from environmental regulations to corporate responsibility. Among the cases to be discussed are disputes over the proper scope of federal environmental reviews, corporate affiliates’ potential liability in trademark infringement cases, and the definition of wire fraud in government contract requirements. The Court will also deliberate on whether military reservists working for the federal government are entitled to differential pay during national emergencies.
Contract Fraud
One of the key cases involves allegations of fraud committed by Pennsylvania businessman Stamatios Kousisis and his company, Alpha Painting & Construction Co. Inc. Kousisis is challenging his conviction for wire fraud, arguing that the state did not suffer harm from his actions in falsely claiming to use a minority-owned business to fulfill contract requirements. In the case, Kousisis and Alpha Painting were accused of falsifying invoices and paying a minority-owned business a 2.25% markup to appear as though they were meeting a government requirement for disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) participation.
