The American Lawyer has named Selendy Gay partners Laura King and Faith Gay, together with co-counsel Carla Weiss of Nichols Law, as “Litigator of the Week” runners-up for their victory on behalf of Saildrone in its challenge to the U.S. Navy’s $2.1 billion Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel competition.
The recognition honors a pair of significant wins for Saildrone. The Selendy Gay team first defeated the government’s effort to dismiss the case, with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims rejecting its argument that the court lacked jurisdiction to review the Navy competition because it was conducted through an Other Transaction agreement.
The team then prevailed on the merits, with the court finding that the Navy had acted arbitrarily by excluding Saildrone while advancing another bidder that had made similar errors in its proposal. The New York Times called the decision “a striking victory for a small defense-technology company.”
The court set aside the Navy’s determination, ordered it to reevaluate Saildrone and barred the Navy from committing more than $1.5 billion to the program while the review is pending, preserving Saildrone’s opportunity to compete.
Selendy Gay partners Laura King and Faith Gay represented Saildrone alongside Corey Stoughton, Gabrielle Kanter, John Juenemann and Samuel Axelrod, and co-counsel Carla Weiss of Nichols Law.
