MEDIA ADVISORY

U.S. District Court Vacates Suspension of IRD

Other Injunctive Relief Granted
August 2, 2015
CONTACT: Dan DuPont
202-380-7558
PRESS@IRD-DC.ORG
ARLINGTON, VA Judge Royce C. Lamberth, of the United States District
Court for the District of Columbia, has granted sweeping injunctive relief to IRD
and ordered that the suspension issued by USAID seven months ago is
immediately vacated.
IRD v USAID (Case No. 1:15 cv-854) is centered on the illegality of the original
suspension and the significant harm it has caused IRD, its staff, beneficiaries,
and U.S. government interests.
Judge Lamberth ruled that plantiffs [IRD] have shown a likelihood of success on
the merits of their claim that the suspension was a fundamental violation of the
Administrative Procedures Act.
By declaring the suspension null and void from its January 6 inception (void ab
initio), Judge Lamberth specifically rejected USAIDs argument that simply lifting
the suspension on June 22 was sufficient.
In addition to vacating the suspension, the order also requires USAID to direct
contracting and award officers to fairly consider IRD proposals. Similarly, the
Agency is also required to issue a statement to other government agencies
informing them that the suspension was illegal and that they should not take it or
the publicly announced reevaluation into consideration when evaluating IRD
proposals. They must also correct misstatements about IRD made by USAID and
USAID Office of Inspector General officials.
Barring settlement between the parties, the case will now move on to discovery in
preparation for a trial which could be expected to occur within the next four to six
months.
CEO Roger Ervin said, Simply put, the Court has made it very clear that the
suspension of IRD should have never happened. This has always been about the
Bureau of Management overseeing a broken process. With this important ruling,
we are hopeful that the remaining issues can be resolved quickly and litigation
ended. We greatly appreciate our partnership with USAID and the work we do
with the Missions and Bureaus around the world. Together our primary focus

must be the important work we do to support vulnerable communities in the

Middle East, Africa and other challenging and difficult regions.
####
Roger Ervin, President and CEO of International Relief & Development, has
over 25 years of experience leading and managing large organizations with
complex missions, including executive positions at the U.S. Department of State,
the U.S. Commercial Service, and the African Development Bank.
IRD is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization responsible for
implementing relief and development programs worldwide. IRDs mission is to
empower the worlds most vulnerable communities to achieve self-sufficiency
through innovative solutions, applied knowledge, and targeted expertise. For
more information, visit http://www.ird.org/.

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