Policy & Compliance

  • February 07, 2025

    Trump Drops High Court Opposition To Transgender Care Ban

    The federal government on Friday changed course in a U.S. Supreme Court case challenging a Tennessee ban on transgender care for minors, telling the court that the Trump administration's position is that the statute does not deny equal protection on the basis of sex.

  • February 07, 2025

    Under The Radar: Bankruptcy News You May Have Missed

    A onetime financial adviser to UpHealth is opposing the debtor's Chapter 11 plan, Hearthside Food Solutions' official committee of unsecured creditors has balked at the company's executive bonus proposal in bankruptcy, and one-time investors in defunct real estate investment firm RealtyShares willingly dismissed a suit against the firm's former directors, litigation that had outlived the firm's Chapter 7 by more than a year.

  • February 07, 2025

    Chicago Hospital Network Inks $850K Retirement Suit Deal

    A Chicago-area hospital system will pay $850,000 to settle an ex-worker's proposed class action alleging it violated federal benefits law by failing to leverage the size of its $1.8 billion employee retirement plan to lower recordkeeping fees, according to filings Friday in Illinois federal court.

  • February 07, 2025

    Wash. AG Sues To Block 'Hateful' Trump Transgender Edict

    Washington, Minnesota and Oregon, along with three unnamed doctors, seek to block President Donald Trump's order targeting transgender youth and their medical providers, arguing in a complaint filed Friday in Seattle federal court that the Trump edict is unconstitutional, discriminates against transgender people and interferes with lifesaving healthcare.

  • February 06, 2025

    Doctors Org. Wants Health Agency Website Info Restored

    An advocacy organization representing physicians asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge Thursday to require federal agencies to restore public-health related web pages and data that were taken down after the Office of Personnel Management directed the agencies to root out references to "gender ideology" on their websites.

  • February 06, 2025

    6th Circ. Uncertain If Health Plan Administrator Is A Fiduciary

    A yacht-maker urged the Sixth Circuit on Thursday to revive its lawsuit accusing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan of overpaying employee health plan claims so it could profit off of savings recovered later, but faced tough questions about whether plan administrator BCBSM was a fiduciary under federal benefits law.

  • February 06, 2025

    ERISA Preempts Banker's $5.5M Deferred Comp, Judge Rules

    The Employee Retirement Income Security Act preempts a former Leerink Partners employee's claims that she was cheated out of about $5.5 million in deferred compensation after the bank hired her under allegedly false pretenses from Goldman Sachs, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Thursday.

  • February 06, 2025

    UnitedHealth Drops Bid To Toss Home Health Deal Challenge

    UnitedHealth Group and home health and hospice giant Amedisys Inc. dropped their bid to toss a case challenging their $3.3 billion merger after enforcers detailed the home health and hospice markets they allege will be hurt by the deal.

  • February 05, 2025

    Trump Signs Order Restricting Transgender Women In Sports

    President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender women from competing in women's sports during a Wednesday afternoon press conference at the White House, continuing his trend of targeting transgender rights.

  • February 05, 2025

    Trade Groups Urge PBM Crackdown By Trump, Congress

    A coalition of industry trade groups sent letters Wednesday urging President Donald Trump and leaders in Congress to advance legislation reining in pharmacy benefit managers — which intermediate between drugmakers, insurers and pharmacies — in the next piece of federal government funding legislation.

  • February 05, 2025

    Penn Hospital Says $200M Judgment Imperils Local Care

    The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania implored the Pennsylvania Superior Court on Wednesday to upend a purportedly historic $200 million medical malpractice judgment, arguing that the jury's award in the birth injury case was greater than the economic output of some nations and could seriously impact the hospital's operations.

  • February 05, 2025

    6th Circ. Urged To Revive Allergy Co.'s Antitrust Claims

    An allergy company tried Wednesday to persuade a noncommittal Sixth Circuit panel to revive an antitrust suit it brought against health insurance companies it says worked together to push it out of the market.

  • February 05, 2025

    Sheppard Mullin Adds Healthcare Reg Partner From Troutman

    Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP on Wednesday announced the arrival of a healthcare partner joining from Troutman Pepper Locke LLP, continuing a streak of recent additions to its healthcare practice.

  • February 04, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives FCA Suit Over Military Meds Deliveries

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday revived a whistleblower lawsuit accusing Express Scripts Inc. of defrauding the U.S. Department of Defense out of billions of dollars in unnecessary medications for military personnel, saying the lawsuit wasn't barred by any public disclosures of the alleged fraud.

  • February 04, 2025

    Meet The Attys Taking On Merck In The Gardasil Trial

    An attorney at a personal injury firm with ties to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's pick for the nation's top healthcare position, is on the plaintiff team leading the first jury trial against Merck & Co. over claims the company wrongfully marketed its HPV vaccine Gardasil.

  • February 04, 2025

    Calif. AG Gets $25M To Fund Legal Fights Against Trump

    The California Legislature greenlighted a $25 million cash infusion Monday for the state attorney general's office in a strategic effort to bolster the state's legal defenses against President Donald Trump's policy agenda, including anticipated challenges to immigration and environmental regulations.

  • February 04, 2025

    Trump Trans Care Order Usurps Congress' Power, Suit Says

    The Trump administration overstepped when it issued an executive order cutting off gender-affirming care for people under 19, a group of transgender adolescents, young adults and their families told a Maryland federal court Tuesday, arguing the president is trying to usurp Congressional authority by forcing federally funded hospitals to discriminate.

  • February 04, 2025

    NY Exoneree Lands Rare 'Indifference' Win In Prison Doc Case

    Antonio Mallet spent nearly 20 years in a New York prison after he was convicted of a fatal shooting. After his release, he learned he had deadly prostate cancer that he claims was exacerbated by the "deliberate indifference" of prison doctors. A Second Circuit panel recently awarded him a rare appellate court victory.

  • February 04, 2025

    Docs, Lawmakers Cut Away At Prior Authorization Red Tape

    As physicians sounded the alarms, states have passed a patchwork of laws reining in prior authorization requirements. Health insurers say they're a necessary safeguard against unnecessary treatments and higher premiums. Healthcare professionals and legal experts argue more reforms are needed.

  • February 04, 2025

    4th Circ. Revives FCA Suit Alleging Faked Therapy Notes

    The Fourth Circuit on Monday sided with a whistleblower who accused her former employer of creating fake notes about addiction therapy sessions that never happened, finding that she had sufficiently detailed the allegations and connected the dots to defeat a motion to dismiss.

  • February 04, 2025

    Doctors Org. Sues Over Health Agency Website Purges

    An advocacy organization representing physicians sued the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in D.C. federal court Tuesday after it directed federal agencies to root out references to "gender ideology" on their websites — a move the physicians claim deprives doctors and researchers of needed information.

  • February 04, 2025

    Trump Trans Care Order Raises New Legal Risks For Providers

    President Donald Trump's executive order restricting gender-affirming care for minors is likely to ignite lasting legal conflicts over the limits of presidential power and whether the policy is discriminatory. In the meantime, hospitals are wrestling with what care they can offer families right now and what comes next for those already undergoing treatment.

  • February 04, 2025

    Party-Line Vote Sends Kennedy's HHS Nomination To Senate

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to be the nation's top healthcare official cleared a key confirmation hurdle on Tuesday, setting the stage for the anti-vaccine lawyer and activist to take the helm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

  • February 03, 2025

    Crowell & Moring Lands Former DOJ Assistant Chief For FCPA

    A former assistant chief in the U.S. Department of Justice's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act unit has joined Crowell & Moring LLP as a partner in the firm's white collar and regulatory enforcement group, according to an announcement made Tuesday.

  • February 03, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Revisit HHS Win On Scope Of ACA

    The Fifth Circuit has declined to conduct an en banc rehearing after an appellate panel upheld a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule that said the Affordable Care Act forbids against transgender bias in healthcare, but one judge argued the court got its analysis wrong.

Expert Analysis

  • How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

    Author Photo

    Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2023

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and federal and state courts made 2023 another groundbreaking year for whistleblower litigation and retaliation developments, including the SEC’s massive whistleblower awards, which are likely to continue into 2024 and further incentivize individuals to submit tips, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.

  • The State Of CFPB Focus On Credit Reporting Of Medical Debt

    Author Photo

    An increase in credit reporting complaints and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent annual report on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act — which focuses on medical debt in credit reporting — are both evidence of the fact that the bureau will continue to prioritize oversight of credit reporting of medical debt, says Kristen Watson at Burr & Forman.

  • FDA's Recent Litigation Records Are Strong, But Imperfect

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notched its share of litigation wins in recent years thanks to a number of key advantages, but the FDA has been less successful in certain highly visible arenas, Jonathan Berman and Colleen Heisey at Jones Day.

  • 5 Steps For Healthcare Companies After Biden's AI Order

    Author Photo

    Rather than simply monitoring for the issuance of agency guidelines on artificial intelligence in the wake of President Joe Biden's October executive order, health and life sciences companies should take action now and begin building internal operational and technical infrastructures designed to govern the use of AI, says Joy Sharp at Faegre Drinker.

  • Giving The Gov't Drug Patent March-In Authority Is Bad Policy

    Author Photo

    The Biden administration's recent proposal to allow government seizure of certain taxpayer-funded drug patents is a terrible idea that would negate the benefits of government-funded research, to the detriment of patients and the wider economy, says Wayne Winegarden at Pacific Research Institute.

  • How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • When Patients Have Standing For Hospital Antitrust Suits

    Author Photo

    Brown v. Hartford Healthcare Corp., recently decided by a Connecticut state court, provides a useful examination of how antitrust standing issues may be analyzed when patients directly sue a healthcare system for anti-competitive conduct, says Charles Honart at Stevens & Lee.

  • ESG Around The World: Singapore

    Author Photo

    Singapore is keen to establish itself as a leading international financial center and a key player in the sustainable finance ecosystem, and key initiatives led by its government and other regulatory bodies have helped the Asian nation progress from its initially guarded attitude toward ESG investment and reporting, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape

    Author Photo

    The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.

  • Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.

  • 'Patient' Definition Ruling Raises Discount Drug Questions

    Author Photo

    A South Carolina federal court's recent decision in Genesis Health Care v. Becerra supports a broader definition of a "patient" eligible to receive discounted drugs under the Section 340B program, but raises a host of novel questions regarding how the decision will affect covered entities and enforcement actions, say attorneys at McDermott.