Deals & Corporate Governance

  • May 09, 2024

    Hospital REIT Sees $736M Loss After Tenant's Ch. 11 Filing

    Medical Properties Trust, a healthcare real estate investment trust, lost $736 million in the first quarter of the year from the financial collapse of Steward Health Care, a major tenant, and the write-off of an international joint venture, executives said on May 9.

  • May 08, 2024

    Shockwave Medical Investor Challenges $13B Deal With J&J

    A shareholder of cardiovascular treatment company Shockwave Medical Inc. is attempting to halt the company's "unfair" $13 billion proposed transaction with Johnson & Johnson by filing a securities suit, saying the transaction will only benefit company insiders and damage public shareholders.

  • May 07, 2024

    Novant CEO Vows To Improve Hospitals Facing FTC Scrutiny

    Novant Health kicked off its defense Tuesday in the Federal Trade Commission's $320 million merger challenge with testimony from its longtime CEO, who vocalized the health system's promise to reinvest in the two struggling hospitals at the center of the case.

  • May 07, 2024

    Takeaways From This Week's Healthcare Earnings

    First-quarter results from the healthcare industry found rising biotech confidence boosted by better-than-expected sales. Major insurers were less enthusiastic. Here, Law360 has the big takeaways from last week's earnings.

  • May 07, 2024

    $55M Hospital Merger Suit Deal OK'd, UHC Objection Rejected

    An Illinois federal judge has given final approval to a $55 million class settlement, with $23.5 million in legal costs and attorney fees, resolving patient antitrust claims over a NorthShore University HealthSystem merger, all while finding that United Healthcare Services had no standing to object to the deal.

  • May 07, 2024

    Meet The Weil Attys Guiding Steward Health's Ch. 11

    A team of attorneys from Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP is representing Steward Health Care System LLC as the embattled hospital operator navigates Chapter 11 in a Texas bankruptcy court with more than $1 billion in debt.

  • May 07, 2024

    What Walmart Health's Shutdown May Mean For Retail Clinics

    In the wake of major closure announcements by Walgreens and Walmart, some experts see signs of a larger retreat in brick-and-mortar healthcare clinics as retailers are buffeted by high overhead fees, failed expansion plans and complex business models.

  • May 06, 2024

    Biotech Co. Wants To Appeal Red Cross Antitrust Immunity

    A biotech company has told a Massachusetts federal court that giving the American Red Cross immunity from claims that it smothered competition in the platelet bacteria mitigation market is unprecedented and leaves the organization free to fix prices or buy up its competitors.

  • May 06, 2024

    Texas Health Coordinator Urges Nonprofit Status At 5th Circ.

    A Texas company that coordinates healthcare for chronically ill patients should not be barred from claiming tax-exempt status, it told the Fifth Circuit on Monday, arguing that the U.S. Tax Court applied an incorrect legal standard when it revoked the group's status.

  • May 06, 2024

    Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher Steer Healthcare JV

    Healthcare Realty Trust Inc. and KKR announced on Monday that the two have entered a joint venture to own and invest in quality medical outpatient buildings, in a deal guided by Latham & Watkins LLP and Simpson Thacher & Barlett LLP.

  • May 06, 2024

    Hospital Chain Steward Health Hits Ch. 11 With Over $1B Debt

    Embattled hospital operator Steward Health Care filed for Chapter 11 protection Monday in a Texas bankruptcy court with more than $1 billion in debt, blaming rising costs and falling government reimbursement rates.

  • May 03, 2024

    Hospital In Novant Merger Beset By Staff Turnover, Court Told

    The Federal Trade Commission and two healthcare companies used witness testimony Friday to paint competing pictures of a North Carolina hospital at the center of a $320 million merger dispute: one in which the hospital has focused on making quality improvements, and another where it's been plagued by poor ratings and high staff turnover.

  • May 03, 2024

    FTC Requests Additional Info On $16.5B Novo-Catalent Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission is seeking additional information on Novo Holdings' planned $16.5 billion acquisition of pharmaceutical services company Catalent in order to examine whether the blockbuster deal passes antitrust muster, according to a Friday securities filing.

  • May 03, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Skadden, Wachtell, Davis Polk

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, L'Occitane International said its executive director and chair is leading an offer to buy the company's shares he doesn't already own, UMB Financial agreed to purchase Heartland Financial USA, Medline said it agreed to acquire Ecolab's global surgical solutions business and The Mosaic Co. said it agreed to sell its stake in a phosphate production joint venture.

  • May 02, 2024

    7th Circ. Mostly Backs Ill. Home Health Kickbacks Judgment

    The Seventh Circuit on Thursday largely left intact an Illinois federal judge's $6 million ruling that a home health care company broke federal kickback laws, refusing to reverse the lower court's liability finding but directing it to ensure its damages award was calculated correctly.

  • May 02, 2024

    Pharma. Co. Wants Ex-Director To Stop Poaching Customers

    A pharmaceutical company has doubled down on its bid to stop a former director from soliciting customers for a rival drugmaker, saying he's trying to twist words in his contract and make up excuses for allegedly stealing trade secrets following his termination.

  • May 02, 2024

    Skin Care Drug Co. Gets OK For Ch. 11 Wind-Down Plan

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Thursday said she would approve the unopposed and unanimously approved Chapter 11 wind-down plans of the company previously known as Timber Pharmaceuticals Inc.

  • May 02, 2024

    Freshfields-Led Novartis Inks $1.75B Cancer Drug Co. Buyout

    Novartis AG said Thursday it has agreed to buy U.S. radiopharmaceutical company Mariana Oncology in a transaction worth up to $1.75 billion, as the Swiss pharmaceutical giant moves to bolster its precision nuclear medicine portfolio.

  • May 01, 2024

    Future Is 'Bleak' If Judge Rejects Novant Merger, Court Hears

    Novant Health on Wednesday sought to portray itself as the "last best hope" to save two struggling hospitals in North Carolina at the start of a multiday hearing in which the Federal Trade Commission is asking the court to squelch Novant's proposed $320 million merger.

  • May 01, 2024

    'Foul' BioVentrix Cash-Out Gets Extra Scrutiny, Chancery Says

    A medical device company's decision to suddenly and without explanation cash out its common stockholders for less than a penny just two months before the company raised $48.5 million in new capital creates such a "foul flavor" that it deserves extra scrutiny, a Delaware Chancery Court judge said Wednesday.

  • May 01, 2024

    Attys Say $5M Fee In Acella Settlement A Modest Proposal

    Plaintiffs' attorneys who recently reached a $46.5 million class action settlement with Acella Pharmaceuticals LLC over faulty thyroid medication asked a Georgia federal judge Tuesday to sign off on their $5 million cut of the deal as a "presumptively reasonable" proposal.

  • April 30, 2024

    Chase Can't Escape Medical Services Co.'s Defamation Suit

    A Florida federal judge refused Monday to toss a suit by a medical services company accusing JPMorgan Chase Bank NA of destroying its business by adding it to a "blacklist," canceling its transactions and falsely telling its business partners that sanctions typically applied to violators of international laws or human rights statutes caused the cancellations.

  • April 30, 2024

    Healthcare Attys Turn Attention To Material Adverse Change

    Life sciences companies are focusing on a specific clause in M&A contracts to prevent unexpected disruptions from tanking deals, according to attorneys working on transactions in the healthcare industry.

  • April 30, 2024

    What's Behind the Q1 Digital Health Funding Rebound

    The digital health industry saw a resurgence in funding at the start of 2024, driven by a handful of mega-rounds and growing deal sizes across the board, but it also faced record-low deal counts as investors signaled pickier attitudes over which ventures they're choosing to fund.

  • April 30, 2024

    Health Attys Facing Noncompete Ban Keep Calm, Carry On

    In the wake of a momentous federal ban on virtually all noncompete restrictions, healthcare businesses and their lawyers are poring over employment contracts and fretting about the implications for an industry heavily reliant on noncompetes for doctors and many others.

Expert Analysis

  • 10 Takeaways From New HHS Federal Compliance Guidelines

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    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.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Cross-Market Implications In FTC's Anesthesia Complaint

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent complaint against a private equity firm's acquisition of anesthesiology practices highlights the controversial issue of cross-market harm in health care provider mergers, and could provide important insights into how a court may view such theories of harm, say Christopher Lau and Dina Older Aguilar at Cornerstone Research.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Cos. Must Adapt To Calif. Immigration Data Privacy Law

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    California’s recently signed A.B. 947 expands the California Consumer Privacy Act and brings the state in line with other comprehensive privacy laws that address immigration status, meaning companies should make any necessary updates to their processes and disclosures, say Kate Lucente and Matt Dhaiti at DLA Piper.

  • Looking For Defense Contract Appeal Trends In Annual Report

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    A deep dive into the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals annual report for the 2023 fiscal year reveals increases in the number of cases filed, pending motions and expedited or accelerated cases, while the board disposed of fewer cases than in prior fiscal years, say Scott Flesch and Alexandra Prime at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • ESG Around The World: South Korea

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    Numerous ESG trends have materialized in South Korea in the past three years, with impacts ranging from greenwashing prevention and carbon neutrality measures to workplace harassment and board diversity initiatives, say Chang Wook Min and Hyun Chan Jung at Jipyong.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • A Look At Successful Bid Protests In FY 2023

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    Attorneys at Sheppard Mullin look beyond the statistics in the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s recent annual report on bid protests, sharing their insights about nine categories of sustained protests, gained from reading every fiscal year 2023 decision in which the protester had a positive result.

  • Rite Aid's Reasons For Ch. 11 Go Beyond Opioid Suits

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    Despite opioid-related lawsuits being the perceived reason that pushed Rite Aid into bankruptcy, the company's recent Chapter 11 filing reveals its tenuous position in the pharmaceutical retail market, and only time will tell whether bankruptcy will right-size the company, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.