Policy & Compliance
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February 03, 2025
Allergan Tells 4th Circ. Medicaid Pricing Suit Rightly Tossed
Allergan told the Fourth Circuit that a district court judge was right to dismiss a whistleblower's claims that its predecessor overcharged Medicaid by not aggregating discounts, saying the Medicaid Rebate Statute doesn't require it to do so.
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February 03, 2025
DC Judge Joins RI In Blocking Trump Funding Freeze
A D.C. federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from implementing a freeze on federal spending while a group of nonprofits sue over the move, ruling the pause appears to "suffer from infirmities of a constitutional magnitude."
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January 31, 2025
New York Scores Win In Reproductive Rights Labor Law Suit
A New York federal judge Friday tossed an anti-abortion group's lawsuit challenging a New York state law that bars employers from penalizing workers for making certain reproductive health decisions, saying on the five-year anniversary of the case that the group lacked standing to assert its last remaining claim.
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January 31, 2025
Express Scripts Says FTC Tried To Swamp It With Lawsuits
The Federal Trade Commission was trying to "paint a target on [pharmacy benefit managers'] backs" when it released a report that accused the pharmaceutical middlemen of inflating the cost of drugs, one such PBM told a federal court in defense of its suit against the agency.
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January 31, 2025
NY Doctor Charged In La. For Prescribing Abortion Pill Online
A Louisiana grand jury indicted a New York doctor on Friday, alleging she prescribed abortion drugs online to a Louisiana woman who then provided the pills to her teenage daughter to induce an abortion, a violation of the state's law.
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January 31, 2025
Supreme Court Eyes Its 'Next Frontier' In FCC Delegation Case
A case about broadband subsidies will give the U.S. Supreme Court the chance to revive a long-dormant separation of powers principle that attorneys say could upend regulations in numerous industries and trigger a power shift that would make last term's shake-up of federal agency authority pale in comparison. And a majority of the court already appears to support its resurrection.
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January 31, 2025
After High Court, SuperValu's $123M FCA Case Heads To Trial
SuperValu is bound for trial in February over whistleblower claims that it billed the government higher-than-customary prices for millions of prescriptions, marking an important test of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that revived the case and redefined the standard of proof under the False Claims Act.
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January 31, 2025
Trump Funding Freeze Blocked As Court Doubts Reversal
A Rhode Island federal judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from freezing spending on federal grant and aid programs, calling the move illegal and saying the issue was not mooted by a White House memo claiming the directive had been rescinded.
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January 31, 2025
JAMS Adds AI-Focused Litigation Vet To Arbitration Team
The alternative dispute resolution service JAMS has expanded its arbitration and mediation team with the addition of an attorney with over three decades of experience spanning complex commercial litigation, independent arbitration and leadership positions at the American Bar Association.
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January 31, 2025
RFK Jr. Says He'll Give Stake In Merck Vaccine Case To Son
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's pick for the nation's top healthcare position, said Friday that he would hand his financial stake in personal injury litigation against vaccine maker Merck over to an adult son.
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January 30, 2025
Plaintiffs, Pfizer Spar Over Where To Join Depo-Provera Suits
Consumers who claim Pfizer Inc. failed to adequately warn patients and doctors about the risk of brain tumors associated with the hormonal contraceptive drug Depo-Provera urged the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Thursday to consolidate their cases but sparred over whether to move them to California or New York.
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January 30, 2025
Ga. Businesses 'Over The Moon' With Tort Reform Proposals
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp unveiled a long-awaited tort reform package Thursday that, if passed, would limit businesses' premises liability, limit plaintiffs' attorneys' rhetoric around damages and require increased disclosures for third-party litigation funding, among a slew of other proposals.
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January 30, 2025
DOJ Calls UnitedHealth Dismissal Bid A Discovery 'End Run'
The U.S. Department of Justice assailed UnitedHealth Group on Wednesday for "masquerading" a "premature" discovery bid as a motion to dismiss the government's Maryland federal court lawsuit challenging the $3.3 billion purchase of home health and hospice giant Amedisys Inc.
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January 30, 2025
RFK Blasts Industry 'Puppets' Amid HHS Nomination Fight
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday that federal scientific panels are rife with conflicts of interest that have turned them into "sock puppets" for industry, as he faced a second day of intense questioning on Capitol Hill and sought support for his nomination as secretary of health and human services.
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January 29, 2025
Albertsons Must Face County's Opioid Nuisance Claims
Albertsons Cos. Inc. can't escape a Texas county's public nuisance claims stemming from opioid sales at the grocery giant's in-store pharmacies, an Ohio federal judge ruled Tuesday, saying there's a "common law duty of care" for pharmacies not to expose the county to a "reasonably foreseeable" risk of harm.
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January 29, 2025
Lab Co-Owner Gets 9 Years For $369M COVID Testing Scheme
The co-owner of a California medical laboratory was sentenced to nine years in prison after being accused of conspiring to defraud Medicare and private insurers out of $369 million by submitting claims for medically unnecessary tests during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.
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January 29, 2025
White House Rescinds Trump's Spending Freeze
The White House on Wednesday rescinded a directive freezing federal funding, saying it wants to end litigation and confusion, but said the move will not end a review of spending to ensure compliance with a series of executive orders by the president.
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January 29, 2025
RFK Jr. Disputes Anti-Vax Label In HHS Confirmation Hearing
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted Wednesday morning to convince Republican and Democratic lawmakers that he is not anti-vaccine, despite many of his past comments to the contrary, as he hopes to convince them to confirm his appointment as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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January 28, 2025
Trump Targets Gender-Affirming Care For Minors In New Order
President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies late Tuesday to take steps to halt gender-affirming care for minors, including by cutting off Medicaid and military health coverage for what he called a "stain on our nation's history."
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January 28, 2025
Minn. AG Settles Novo Nordisk Insulin Claims With Price Cap
Minnesota's attorney general has reached a settlement resolving a long-running lawsuit accusing Novo Nordisk of inflating insulin prices, with the company agreeing to a $35 per month cap on out-of-pocket costs for state residents.
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January 28, 2025
Wash. Judge Asks If Dr.'s Ivermectin Discipline Was Political
A Washington appellate judge asked Tuesday if a doctor who was disciplined by a medical board for prescribing the controversial drug ivermectin to COVID-19 patients was targeted for his political views, while another judge asked if "all lies" about medical information are protected speech.
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January 28, 2025
Questions To Watch For In RFK Jr.'s Confirmation Hearing
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to appear on Capitol Hill as he tries to secure the top position at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Here are some of the questions healthcare lawyers and others want to see addressed about his "Make America Healthy Again" pledge.
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January 28, 2025
Feds Say Health System Can't Ditch Fraud Suit Over Surgeries
The federal government and state of Washington urged a judge on Monday to allow their suit against a hospital operator to move forward, saying they have provided more than enough detail to support allegations that the health system knew a doctor was performing unnecessary surgeries.
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January 28, 2025
Trump's CMS Suit U-Turn, Sacklers Settle, And Trans Suit Stay
Law360 Healthcare Authority recaps the significant cases and decisions that shaped the healthcare industry over the past week, including the Trump administration’s reversal on a case challenging the Medicare Advantage star rating system, a freeze on a lawsuit over a Biden-era gender dysphoria rule, and the Sackler family’s $7.4 billion opioid settlement.
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January 28, 2025
Hospitals Brace For Immigration Agents, Legal Clashes
The Trump administration’s move to allow immigration enforcement at "sensitive" locations is pushing hospitals to scrutinize their legal obligations under HIPAA and other state and federal laws.
Expert Analysis
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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Activist Short-Sellers Are The Dark Knights Of Wall Street
While so-called activist short-sellers have been subject to increased scrutiny in recent years, these investors work in the shadows like Batman to expose fraud on Wall Street, often generating leads that may move regulators to take action, say attorneys at Labaton Sucharow.
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Steps Toward A Unified Health Financing System For Calif.
A new law authorizes the secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency to move forward with designing a unified healthcare financing system, though the notable absence of healthcare payers in the law's list of specified stakeholders raises questions about the state's position regarding private payer options, says Ima Nsien at Squire Patton.
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Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.
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What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance
Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories
The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
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White House Activity Is A Band-Aid For Regulating AI In Health
In the medium term, recent White House actions will have a greater impact on AI in the health care industry than Congress' sluggish efforts to regulate it, but ultimately legislation of AI's development and use in the health space will fall to Congress, say Wendell Bartnick and Vanessa Perumal at Reed Smith.
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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How Mental Health Ruling Paves Road For Equal Coverage
The Tenth Circuit’s recent ruling in E.W. v. Health Net, which clarified the pleading requirements necessary to establish a Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act violation, is a win for plaintiffs as it opens the door to those who have been denied coverage for behavioral health treatment to prove a mental health parity violation, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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ESG Around The World: Mexico
ESG has yet to become part of the DNA of the Mexican business model, but huge strides are being made in that direction, as more stakeholders demand that companies adopt, at the least, a modicum of sustainability commitments and demonstrate how they will meet them, says Carlos Escoto at Galicia Abogados.
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The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
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10 Takeaways From New HHS Federal Compliance Guidelines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recently issued general compliance program guidance is the first of its kind that would apply across all health care stakeholders, and signals the agency’s first step to improve and update existing compliance guidance, says Melissa Wong at Holland & Knight.