During the building of a new VA medical center, the government issued defective drawings and specifications and failed to coordinate its purchases of government-furnished equipment. It then tried to shift the blame for delays and cost overruns to the general contractor. The government refused to pay change orders and grant time extensions, it threatened termination for default, and it took other punitive actions.
At age 17, Charlie McGowan was convicted of capital murder, armed robbery and aggravated assault for his involvement in an armed robbery that resulted in a murder. Although he didn’t shoot anyone, he was sentenced to life without parole and faced spending his entire life in a Mississippi prison. But with the help of two Supreme Court decisions and five years of pro bono service from Bradley Partner Michael J. Bentley, Charlie now has a chance at parole after almost 25 years in prison.