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Lombardo Law

Specializing in U.S. Export Controls 

& Government Contracts

 

Mana Elihu Lombardo

 

 

 

Mana concentrates her practice on government contracts counseling and disputes, and she has extensive experience defending companies under the False Claims Act (FCA).  Prior to Lombardo Law, Mana served as a partner in Crowell & Moring's government contracts department, where she conducted internal investigations and counseled major defense contractors on federal contract compliance and procurement fraud.  In 2023, Mana was recognized as a “Super Lawyer” for her work in Government Contracts.

 

Mana litigates a variety of procurement fraud matters against the Department of Justice, local public entities, and "qui tam" whistleblowers under the Federal and California State False Claims Acts. She represents a range of industries, including aerospace, defense, information technology services, healthcare, education and national laboratories, environmental consulting, construction, security services, energy, data reporting and analytics, and accounting and budget services.

Mana’s government contracts practice includes a range of counseling, litigation, and transactional capabilities, including due diligence in the transactional context, negotiations and disputes between prime and subcontractors, government audits and investigations, procurement integrity, cost allowability, organizational conflicts of interest, mandatory disclosure, compliance review, and counseling on other ethics and compliance issues under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS).

 

In addition, Mana handles a range of civil litigation matters, including contract disputes, business torts, and labor & employment issues. Mana has successfully defended clients at trial and has appeared and argued before federal and state trial and appellate courts.  She has extensive experience developing and implementing litigation strategy as well as managing the process of large litigation matters. She works closely with clients to guide them through mediation and settlement proceedings. 

 

Representative Matters:

  • Obtained trial verdict for a major federal contractor in the aerospace industry against a whistleblower complaint alleging over one billion dollars in damages for false testing, fraudulent underbidding, and employment retaliation under the False Claims Act.

  • Seconded as Associate General Counsel to Fortune 100 Aerospace company in division managing prime government and defense contracts.

  • Obtained summary judgment verdict dismissing with prejudice qui tam action alleging fraudulent review of Veteran’s medical records (C.D. Cal, aff’d at Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals).

  • Represented local contractor that faced over $2.5 million in fraudulent billing allegations based on government audit alleging labor mischarging and illegal kickbacks. Obtained a favorable settlement which dismissed all claims against the contractor, converted the government's termination for default into a termination for convenience, and compensated the contractor for monies owed by the government at the time of termination.

  • Managed internal investigation for major government contractor involving allegations of false testing under the FCA. Representation successfully resulted in the Department of Justice declining to intervene in the case and relator dismissing the action.

  • Represented IT services provider in transaction for the sale of its State and Local Health and Human Services business division.

  • Represented IT services provider in transaction to spin off its public sector contracts division.

  • Successfully obtained a summary judgment verdict for a defense industry client in a multi-million dollar interference with contract action involving procurement of military vehicle components for a foreign government.

  • Represented federal government contractor in audit negotiations with DCAA and DCMA, resulting in elimination and reduction of questioned costs.

  • Represented federal government subcontractor in contract dispute involving sale of submarines to United States Armed Forces.

 

Mana graduated from the UCLA School of Law, where she was an editor of the UCLA Law Review. Mana earned her undergraduate degree, with honors, in political economy from the University of California at Berkeley. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and received both the Alumni Leadership Scholarship and the Robert Byrd Scholarship for four consecutive years.

 

In 2015-2019, Mana was recognized as a "Southern California Super Lawyer - Rising Star" in Government Contracts.

 

In 2023, Mana was recognized as a “Super Lawyer” for her work in Government Contracts.

 

Admissions/Affiliations

Admitted to practice: California, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
 

Education

  • University of California, Berkeley, B.A. (2000) with honors

  • University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, J.D. (2003)

 

In the News

  • Top Verdicts: U.S. ex. rel. Hooper v. Lockheed Martin Corp.
    February 18, 2015 — Daily Journal
    Mana Elihu Lombardo and her colleagues were recognized for one of the Daily Journal's top verdicts of 2014 for their representation of Lockheed Martin in the U.S. ex. rel. Hooper v. Lockheed Martin Corp. case. After a six-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, a jury unanimously found in favor of Lockheed Martin Corporation in a lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the civil False Claims Act.

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Speaking Engagements

 

Publications

 

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