Policy & Compliance

  • June 26, 2024

    Justices Chide 5th Circ. In Biden Social Media Case

    The Fifth Circuit relied on "clearly erroneous" facts and an overgeneralized view of standing when it ordered the Biden administration to stop working with social media platforms to combat COVID-19 and election misinformation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday as it threw out a challenge to the government's actions.

  • June 26, 2024

    Device Maker To Fork Over $3.5M In Tax Dodge Suit

    A man who manufactured a purported health device will pay the IRS nearly $3.5 million under an agreement endorsed by a Florida federal court after the agency claimed he hadn't filed a tax return since 1999.

  • June 26, 2024

    Nurses Say Mich. Hospitals Owe OT For Meal Break Work

    Two locations of a Michigan healthcare system unlawfully require employees to work through their meal breaks without pay in violation of federal wage law, according to two separate proposed collective actions filed in federal court.

  • June 26, 2024

    Feds' 5th Circ. Win On Preventive Care May Imperil ACA

    The Fifth Circuit's decision to knock out a national injunction against preventive services coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act left healthcare advocates breathing a sigh of relief, but attorneys say even more of those requirements may be on the chopping block.

  • June 26, 2024

    High Court 'Inadvertently' Posts Order Punting Abortion Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court mistakenly released a draft order Wednesday that would allow emergency abortions in Idaho, with a majority saying the court was wrong to consider a state challenge at this time.

  • June 26, 2024

    High Court Axes Challenge To Biden Admin's Social Media Work

    The U.S. Supreme Court wiped out a Fifth Circuit order prohibiting the Biden administration and several federal agencies from working with social media platforms to combat the spread of misinformation Wednesday, finding the states and individuals challenging the collaboration don't have standing to sue.

  • June 25, 2024

    Mich. Judge Blocks State Abortion Waiting Period, Counseling

    A Michigan state judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a 24-hour waiting period, mandatory counseling and other requirements on people seeking abortions in the state, finding they likely violate an amendment in the state constitution guaranteeing the right to an abortion.

  • June 25, 2024

    Supreme Court Sets Stage For Crucial Ruling On Trans Rights

    The U.S. Supreme Court's plunge into the legal clash over gender-affirming care for minors could determine the fate of restrictions enacted in 25 states and shape the future of transgender rights for years to come.

  • June 25, 2024

    NBA Fraud Trial, An HHS Loss, And An Ivy League Doc Settles

    A Texas federal judge dinged the Biden administration over a rule restricting hospitals' use of online tracking technology. The NBA healthcare fraud scheme saga continues. A Harvard fertility doc settled claims he used his own sperm to impregnate a patient. Law360 Healthcare Authority examines the lawsuits and decisions that have shaped the industry over the last week. 

  • June 25, 2024

    In High Court Loss, Anti-Abortion Atty Sees Win For Objectors

    Erin Hawley of Alliance Defending Freedom, a top attorney of the anti-abortion movement, sees a "silver lining" in the recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion that maintained broad access to the abortion medication mifepristone: an endorsement of robust conscience protections for healthcare providers.

  • June 25, 2024

    For Pharma, High Court Abortion Drug Ruling Averts 'Chaos'

    The pharmaceutical industry's relief over the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on mifepristone goes well beyond the abortion medication at the center of the case.

  • June 25, 2024

    Tracking The FTC's Latest Moves In Healthcare

    The Federal Trade Commission has its eye on the healthcare industry, targeting a range of deals the agency says would hurt competition and drive up prices. Law360 Healthcare Authority tracks recent FTC actions targeting hospital systems, digital health entities and pharmaceutical companies.

  • June 25, 2024

    Gov't Asks Ala. Fed. Court To Stay Gender Care Case

    The Biden administration has asked an Alabama federal court to stay a suit challenging a state law criminalizing gender-affirming care for transgender youth, which has drawn attention because of judge-shopping allegations leveled against plaintiff's counsel, as the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a separate but potentially precedential suit.

  • June 25, 2024

    The Federal Judge At The Center Of NC Abortion Battles

    A lone federal judge in North Carolina is playing an outsize role in abortion access cases critical to women seeking the procedures across much of the American South.

  • June 25, 2024

    Longtime Pediatrix Atty Joins Envision Healthcare As GC

    The longtime top attorney for Pediatrix Medical Group Inc. has joined Nashville, Tennessee-based national medical group Envision Healthcare as its new general counsel.

  • June 24, 2024

    NYC Pharmacy Owners Get Jail Time For $18M Med Fraud

    Two brothers who own several New York pharmacies will each have to pay over $18 million in restitution in addition to serving jail time for submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare for pricey cancer medication and funneling illicit proceeds through several shell companies, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

  • June 24, 2024

    Health Co. Narrows Doctor's Reneged Benefits Suit

    An Arizona federal judge trimmed a doctor's suit claiming her healthcare system employer refused to let her use her benefits to take time off to undergo cancer treatments, but kept alive claims that the company violated state and federal law by misleading her about paid leave.

  • June 24, 2024

    LA Schools Says Pseudoscience Infected 9th Circ. Vax Ruling

    The Los Angeles Unified School District said Friday that a split Ninth Circuit panel leaned on pseudoscience when ruling that a rescinded employee COVID-19 vaccination mandate implicated the right of district employees to refuse medical treatment, urging an en banc panel to correct the "fatally flawed" decision.

  • June 24, 2024

    Ark. AG Sues Pharmacy Benefit Managers Over Opioids

    The Arkansas attorney general said Monday that he had sued pharmacy benefit managers Optum Inc. and Express Scripts Inc. in state court, claiming they contributed to the opioid crisis and profited from the drug epidemic.

  • June 24, 2024

    Justices Pass On Conn. School Vaccine Mandate Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a Second Circuit decision that largely upheld the dismissal of a suit challenging a Connecticut law passed during the COVID-19 pandemic that revoked religious exemptions to student vaccine mandates.

  • June 24, 2024

    Justices Pass On Rutgers COVID-19 Vax Mandate Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review a split Third Circuit ruling that Rutgers University students cannot challenge the school's COVID-19 vaccine policy because, under the high court's 1905 precedent in Jacobson v. Massachusetts, there is no fundamental right to refuse vaccinations.

  • June 24, 2024

    High Court To Review State Gender Care Bans

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review a Sixth Circuit decision that allowed Tennessee to keep in place a new ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

  • June 24, 2024

    Justices Won't Hear Objections To $2.67B BCBS Deal

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Monday to review Home Depot's challenge of a $2.67 billion settlement in antitrust litigation targeting Blue Cross Blue Shield, along with a separate challenge of the attorney fees awarded for the deal.

  • June 21, 2024

    Texas Medical Board Adopts Abortion Records Requirement

    Texas doctors who determine that an abortion is necessary during a pregnant patient's health crisis will face new recordkeeping requirements under a final rule issued Friday by the state's medical board.

  • June 21, 2024

    Attys Accused Of Judge Shopping Must Share Public Remarks

    Attorneys accused of judge shopping two 2022 suits challenging an Alabama law criminalizing some gender-affirming care for transgender youths have been given 48 hours to turn over any public statements, releases or other information they or their organizations have shared about the disciplinary proceedings, just days ahead of a Monday hearing.

Expert Analysis

  • Digging Into The Debate On FDA's Proposed Lab Test Rule

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    A proposed 10-word amendment from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration represents a sea change in device regulation as it would summarily end decades of FDA enforcement discretion for laboratory developed tests, and the public comments offer some insight into the future of this long-running saga, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

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    Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.

  • AI In Health Law: The Top Guest Articles Of 2023

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    As the use of artificial intelligence accelerated this year, Expert Analysis writers examined AI's significant impact on the healthcare sector, ranging from key compliance considerations for companies utilizing AI tools to regulators' efforts to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies.

  • The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

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    A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.

  • Inside Higher Education's New FCA Liability Challenges

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    As the educational sector expands its use of government funding, schools are at increased risk under the False Claims Act, but recent settlements offer valuable lessons about new theories of liability they may face and specific procedures to reduce their exposure, say James Zelenay and Jeremy Ochsenbein at Gibson Dunn.

  • AI Executive Order's Life Science, Healthcare Industry Effects

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    The recent White House executive order to manage risks associated with artificial intelligence includes provisions specific to healthcare and life sciences that merit special attention, including transparency, human oversight of AI output, and real world performance monitoring, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • HHS Advisory Highlights Free Product Inducement Risks

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    A recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advisory opinion highlights concerns that valuable free products and other inducements may influence patients and providers to choose one manufacturer’s product over another, notwithstanding that such free healthcare products may be a benefit, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

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    Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.

  • In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

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    Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.

  • How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.