In a decision issued publicly on October 4, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Kathryn Davis rejected multiple claims made by the incumbent landlord, Second Street Holdings LLC, in a bid protest challenging the award of a $1.3 billion lease for the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission's new headquarters in Washington, DC.

With the SEC’s current lease for the 1.24 million square foot office space set to expire in September 2023, the General Services Administration (GSA) awarded the headquarters lease to Pillsbury client Cayre Jemal’s Nick LLC (CJN), an affiliate of  Douglas Development Corporation in DC and Midtown Equities in New York. Government Contracts & Disputes partner and practice co-leader Alex Tomaszczuk, partner Matt Carter and associate Dinesh Dharmadasa served as counsel to CJN, the intervenor defendant in the matter.

Previously, the GAO ruled against Second Street’s claims and dismissed all protest grounds in January 2022. In the written opinion and order published on October 4, Judge Davis ruled that the motions for judgment on the administrative record sought by both the GSA and CJN would be granted. She added that Second Street “had failed to meet its burden on any of the asserted grounds of its protest.”

The case is Second Street Holdings LLC et al. v. U.S.A., 22-cv-00253, in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

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