Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Health
-
June 06, 2024
Drugmakers Escape Cancer Drug Antitrust Claims For Now
A New Jersey federal judge granted drugmakers Celgene and Bristol-Myers Squibb an out from consolidated antitrust litigation accusing them of delaying generic competition to their blockbuster cancer treatments, saying the conduct alleged by a group of insurer plaintiffs fails to amount to anti-competitive conduct.
-
June 06, 2024
Wash. Judge Suggests Insurer Dragged Out IP Dispute
A Washington federal judge appeared unconvinced Thursday by a dental health insurer's argument that it acted honestly in pushing forward with trade secret claims even after the accused ex-employee returned her company-issued laptop that purportedly held sensitive information.
-
June 06, 2024
Insurer Off The Hook For $3.4M Nursing Home Death Verdict
A Berkshire Hathaway unit needn't cover a $3.4 million default judgment entered against its insured in a wrongful death suit, an Illinois federal judge determined, finding that the insured nursing home "did not meet its own reporting and cooperation obligations under the policy."
-
June 06, 2024
8th Circ. Affirms Cigna Noncompete Applies To CVS Hire
The Eighth Circuit has backed a lower court finding that blocked a healthcare industry executive from making a move to CVS, handing a win to Cigna in a case over trade secrets.
-
June 06, 2024
Simpson Thacher, Latham Guide Waystar's $968M IPO
Private equity-backed hospital billing firm Waystar Holding Corp. priced a $967.5 million initial public offering within its range on Thursday, represented by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and underwriters' counsel Latham & Watkins LLP, marking the largest IPO since April.
-
June 06, 2024
Psychiatrist Gets 99 Months For $19M Billing Fraud Scheme
A psychiatrist who was convicted for a $19 million insurance fraud scheme was sentenced Thursday to 99 months in prison by a Boston federal judge, who found that there was "overwhelming evidence" of the doctor's guilt.
-
June 06, 2024
'Brussels Effect' Of EU's AI Act Is Uncertain, Legal Pros Say
BigLaw attorneys advising international clients on the European Union's AI Act tell Law360 there are significant uncertainties over vague terms in the 458-page statute, how its steep eight-figure fines will be enforced, and whether it will set a new standard globally as part of the "Brussels effect."
-
June 06, 2024
North Carolina AG Narrows Target In Hospital Contract Suit
The North Carolina Attorney General's office has agreed to drop for-profit hospital network HCA Management Services from a lawsuit over allegedly unsafe and unsanitary conditions at its Asheville hospital, although an affiliate remains as a defendant, according to a joint stipulation in the state Business Court.
-
June 06, 2024
Justices Say Feds Liable For Tribes' Healthcare Admin Costs
A split U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday held that the federal government is required to reimburse two Native American tribes millions of dollars in administrative healthcare costs, saying the spending is necessary for the communities to operate programs assumed from the Indian Health Service.
-
June 06, 2024
Fried Frank Exec Comp Partner Moves To Paul Hastings In NY
Executive compensation lawyer Jason Ertel has joined Paul Hastings LLP's global compensation, benefits and ERISA practice as a partner in New York, the firm said Thursday.
-
June 05, 2024
Medical Clinic Must Face Patients' Record-Snooping Suit
An Indiana appeals court on Wednesday reinstated claims against a medical clinic that employed a physician who improperly accessed the medical records of female patients for personal reasons, saying whether the doctor was acting within the scope of his employment is an issue still up for debate.
-
June 05, 2024
Fired Team Doctor Sues Emory, Falcons For Discrimination
A former head medical physician for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, who is Black, has filed a defamation and civil rights lawsuit against Emory Healthcare Inc. and the team, alleging he was continuously denied leadership opportunities in favor of white colleagues before abruptly being fired.
-
June 05, 2024
AI Co., Biotech Prep IPOs Worth $602M As Novelis Delays
Healthcare data artificial intelligence platform Tempus AI and Australian biotech Telix Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday unveiled plans for initial public offerings that will aim to raise a combined total of approximately $602 million, while sustainable aluminum solutions provider Novelis, a day prior, postponed IPO plans due to market conditions.
-
June 05, 2024
House Votes To Block Vets' Access To Gender-Affirming Care
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a $147.5 billion spending bill along mostly party lines funding military construction and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which would block veterans' access to gender-affirming care and which the White House has already threatened to veto.
-
June 05, 2024
Colo. To Exempt Modular Homes From Sales Tax
Colorado will exempt new modular home sales from state tax under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis.
-
June 05, 2024
Medtronic Can't Pause FCA Claims For 1st Circ. Detour
A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday declined to pause a long-pending False Claims Act and whistleblower retaliation case against medical device maker Medtronic so it can appeal a recent ruling, saying the court and the parties need to "get it moving."
-
June 05, 2024
Lippes Mathias Merges With Syracuse Health, Business Firm
Buffalo, New York-based firm Lippes Mathias LLP said this week that it had created one of the state's largest healthcare attorney teams outside New York City in combining with Syracuse business and healthcare boutique CCBLaw, a move that will ultimately add 11 lawyers and eight nonlawyer professionals to its ranks.
-
June 05, 2024
Ohio Panel Revives Cancer Scientist's Misconduct Probe Suit
An Ohio appellate court revived parts of a cancer research scientist's suit accusing Ohio State University of mishandling a probe into his conduct sparked by a New York Times article the scientist said defamed him, ruling his claims the school failed to follow its own policy should continue.
-
June 05, 2024
3rd Circ. Debates Length Of Breaks In $7M Wage Case
A Third Circuit panel tried on Wednesday to pin down when the U.S. Department of Labor and an in-home care agency believed that employees were off-duty or just traveling between jobs, and whether the company's lack of travel-time records left it open to a $7 million judgment based on government estimates.
-
June 05, 2024
FTC Can't Pause Novant's $320M Bid To Buy NC Hospitals
The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday lost its bid to block Novant Health from buying two local hospitals in North Carolina for $320 million while it conducts an in-house review, with a federal judge reasoning that competition would actually fare better if the merger advanced.
-
June 05, 2024
Detroit Hospital Hit With Meal-Break Lawsuit Seeking OT
A Detroit hospital network automatically deducts 30-minute unpaid meal breaks from nurses' and technicians' pay regardless of whether they were actually relieved from their work duties, a former employee said in a proposed class and collective action filed in Michigan federal court.
-
June 04, 2024
Judiciary Panel Clears 1st MDL Rule, Eyes 'Mouthpiece' Amici
Top rulemaking gatekeepers for the federal judiciary Tuesday capped off seven years of strife in the defense and plaintiffs bars by backing a milestone measure aimed at optimizing multidistrict litigation, and then promptly greenlighted an entirely different war of words over new efforts to ferret out amicus briefs from "paid mouthpieces" masquerading as independent experts.
-
June 04, 2024
Ontrak CEO Shed $20M In Stock With Insider Info, Jury Hears
Ontrak Inc.'s founder rushed to dump over $20 million of the healthcare company's stock using insider information about a souring relationship with its biggest client, Cigna, helping him avoid $12 million in losses, prosecutors told California federal jurors Tuesday in a first-of-its-kind securities fraud trial.
-
June 04, 2024
Divided 9th Circ. Reverses Sutter Health Antitrust Trial Victory
A split Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday overturned Sutter Health's win in insurance plan purchasers' $400 million antitrust suit, ruling that the lower court wrongly excluded "highly relevant" evidence — including admissions by Sutter executives — that would've helped the purchasers potentially prove claims they overpaid thanks to Sutter's anticompetitive conduct.
-
June 04, 2024
Insulin Pens Exposed Patients To Disease, Hospital Says
A Connecticut-based hospital says medical device manufacturer Novo Nordisk should be on the hook for a $1 million settlement the hospital paid to end claims that patients were exposed to blood-borne infections because of the medical staff's use of Novo Nordisk's product.
Expert Analysis
-
Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
-
Direct Claims Ruling May Alter Gov't Ties To Software Firms
A recent Federal Circuit decision allowing a software developer to pursue legal action under the Contract Disputes Act could change the government's relationship with commercial software providers by permitting direct claims, even in third-party purchase situations, say Dan Ramish and Zach Prince at Haynes Boone.
-
AI In Accounting Raises OT Exemption Questions
A recent surge in the use of artificial intelligence in accounting work calls into question whether professionals in the industry can argue they are no longer overtime exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, highlighting how technology could test the limits of the law for a variety of professions, say Bradford Kelley at Littler and Stephen Malone at Peloton Interactive.
-
What To Know About State-Level Health Data Privacy Laws
Companies that handle consumer health data, including those in the retail sector, should take a conservative approach when interpreting the scope of new health privacy laws in Washington, Nevada and Connecticut, which may include development of privacy notices, consent procedures, rights request response processes and processor contracts, say attorneys at Hunton.
-
Opinion
Intoxicating Hemp Products: It's High Time For Clarity
Thanks to ambiguity in the 2018 Farm Bill, intoxicating hemp cannabinoid products are largely unregulated and are widely available without restrictions on who can buy the products, and although there are several possible solutions, voluntary industry action by good actors is the best option, say Andrew Kline and Tommy Tobin at Perkins Coie.
-
HHS' Updated Tracking Tech Guidance Offers Little Clarity
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights' updated guidance on the use of online tracking technologies appears more focused on legal issues raised in ongoing litigation with the American Hospital Association and less on practical guidance for covered entities, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
-
What Rescheduling Could Mean For Cannabis Bankruptcies
Bankruptcy courts have historically been closed for cannabis-related businesses, but recent case law coupled with a possible reclassification of cannabis provides cautious optimism, say attorneys at Duane Morris.
-
Opinion
Pharmacies Need More Protection Against PBM Fee Practices
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' recent reform regarding direct and indirect remuneration fees will mitigate the detrimental effects that pharmacy benefit manager policies have on struggling pharmacies, but more is needed to prevent PBMs from exploiting loopholes, says Bhavesh Desai at Mazina Law.
-
Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.
-
Takeaways From The 2023 DOJ Fraud Section Report
Attorneys at Wiley discuss notable trends from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently reported Fraud Section activity last year and highlight areas of enforcement to watch for in the future, including healthcare fraud and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.
-
Hospitals Must Adapt To Growing Cybercrime Threats
As the tide of cybersecurity attacks targeting the healthcare industry continues to grow, hospitals and healthcare providers must take steps to protect themselves, including by replacing legacy records systems and ensuring that business associate agreements address responsibility for breaches, says Christine Chasse at Spencer Fane.
-
Assessing FDA Pathways For Genome-Edited Plant Foods
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent clarification of the regulatory pathways for foods produced from genome-edited plants seeks to strike a balance between public health and innovation, and may hold broader significance for developers of novel human foods subject to voluntary notification programs, say Emily Marden and Diane McEnroe at Sidley Austin.
-
Opinion
Proposed MDL Management Rule Needs Refining
Proponents of the recently proposed Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16.1 believe it may enhance efficiency in multidistrict litigation proceedings if adopted, but there are serious concerns that it could actually hinder plaintiffs' access to justice through the courts — and there are fundamental flaws that deserve our attention, says Ashleigh Raso at Nigh Goldenberg.
-
Opinion
Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.
-
Opinion
NIST March-In Framework Is As Problematic As 2021 Proposal
While the National Institute of Standards and Technology's proposed march-in framework on when the government can seize patents has been regarded as a radical departure that will support lowering prescription drug costs, the language at the heart of it is identical to a failed 2021 notice of proposed rulemaking, says attorney Kelly Morron.