Policy & Compliance
-
March 28, 2025
NC Biz Court Bulletin: TikTok Duel Heats Up, NIL Suit Plays On
In March, the North Carolina Business Court readied for trial in an insurance coverage dispute involving Smithfield Foods, heard why TikTok is subject to the state's jurisdiction, and allowed the Cardiac Pack's NIL suit against the NCAA to proceed while a parallel case plays out.
-
March 27, 2025
Diopsys Inks $14M Deal Resolving Vision Testing FCA Claims
Medical device maker Diopsys Inc. has agreed to pay up to $14.25 million to put to rest allegations it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false Medicare and Medicaid claims for certain vision testing services, according to a U.S. Department of Justice announcement Thursday.
-
March 27, 2025
DC Judge Seems Open To Fired Inspectors' Reinstatement Bid
A D.C. federal judge on Thursday questioned whether it would make practical sense to reinstate eight inspectors general fired by President Donald Trump while signaling openness to the federal watchdogs' argument that the president must follow the legally mandated process before they can be terminated.
-
March 27, 2025
Fertility Co. Wants To Pull Device Maker Into Negligence Suit
A fertility products company wants two other companies to share potential liability from a Connecticut state lawsuit alleging that a recalled culture medium was responsible for the loss of embryos a couple were planning to use for in vitro fertilization.
-
March 27, 2025
Feds Allowed To Weigh In On MultiPlan Pricing MDL
The federal government will be allowed to appear in multidistrict antitrust litigation targeting MultiPlan's out-of-network reimbursement rates to offer input on the legal framework for analyzing claims involving the joint use of algorithms, a practice it says poses "a growing threat" to free market competition.
-
March 27, 2025
FCA Suit Alleging Unnecessary Spinal Surgeries Avoids Dismissal
A Washington federal judge declined Wednesday to toss the state and federal government's suit alleging a hospital operator made millions of dollars by submitting false claims to Medicaid and Medicare for medically unnecessary surgical procedures.
-
March 27, 2025
Walgreens To Pay $2.8M For Alleged Medicaid Overcharges
Walgreens will pay $2.8 million under an agreement with federal prosecutors to settle allegations that it submitted inflated prices for some generic medications to Medicaid programs in Massachusetts and Georgia.
-
March 27, 2025
DOJ's Antitrust Unit Targeting Anticompetitive Regulations
The U.S. Department of Justice launched a task force on Thursday aimed at eliminating state and federal laws and regulations that are hindering competition, with an initial focus on key sectors including housing, food and transportation.
-
March 27, 2025
EMS Co. Accused Of Failing To Pay Proper Overtime
A private ambulance company has been hit with a proposed class action in Georgia federal court over allegations that it failed to pay workers overtime wages as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.
-
March 27, 2025
HHS To Cut 10,000 Jobs As RFK Jr. Reorganizes Agency
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that it would lay off 10,000 employees as part of a "dramatic" plan to restructure the agency and downsize its workforce by about 24%.
-
March 26, 2025
Sotomayor Urges Caution On Nondelegation Doctrine Revamp
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cautioned her colleagues during oral arguments Wednesday against using a challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's administration of a broadband subsidy program as a way to resurrect the long-dormant nondelegation doctrine. Several conservative justices, however, seemed willing to disregard that admonition.
-
March 26, 2025
Healthcare Providers To Pay $63M Over False Spinal Diagnoses
California-based Seoul Medical Group, its healthcare management service unit and a radiology center will pay $62.85 million to settle allegations they submitted bogus spinal condition diagnoses to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to maximize their revenue, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
-
March 26, 2025
Feds Seek 2 Years For Device-Maker's $2.4M Tax Evasion
A Floridian who made millions of dollars on medical devices and pled guilty to evading $2.4 million in taxes should be sentenced to between 24 and 30 months in prison for tax evasion based on the severity of his offense, the U.S. told a federal court Wednesday.
-
March 26, 2025
AGs Seek 1st OK For $39M Apotex Deal In Price-Fixing Case
A coalition of 50 state attorneys general on Wednesday asked a Connecticut federal judge to accept a $39.1 million deal settling claims that pharmaceutical company Apotex Corp. schemed with others to fix generic-drug prices, with 70% earmarked for a restitution fund and 30% for consumer notices and attorney fees.
-
March 26, 2025
False COVID Cure Claims No Longer Feds' 'Current Priority'
The Trump administration has abandoned another case targeting allegedly false claims that an over-the-counter product could treat, or even cure, COVID-19 by dropping its case against a one-man herbal tea operation.
-
March 26, 2025
Hospital To Face Doctor's Libel Claim Over Suspension Report
A North Carolina federal judge has dismissed claims for breach of good faith and emotional distress from a gynecological oncologist's defamation suit against the hospital where he used to work, but let libel and loss of job opportunity claims continue in line with a magistrate judge's recommendation.
-
March 26, 2025
BCBS Settlement Opt-Outs Ordered To Disclose Funding Deals
Four law firms representing hospitals that opted out of the landmark $2.8 billion Blue Cross Blue Shield antitrust settlement must disclose whether their clients were motivated by a "quick payment" from litigation funders, an Alabama federal judge ordered Tuesday.
-
March 26, 2025
Ex-CEO Says McGuireWoods Can't Rehash Immunity Appeal
McGuireWoods LLP and one of its former partners are rehashing immunity defenses in a last-ditch effort to dodge a long-running defamation case, the former CEO of a managed care organization told the North Carolina Court of Appeals in seeking to have the case kicked back down to the trial court.
-
March 25, 2025
UBH Patients On Remand, CMS Audits And J&J Investor Suit
Patients challenging United Behavioral Health coverage guidelines for mental health treatment filed their first brief in the case since the Ninth Circuit clarified the scope of the remanded proceedings.
-
March 25, 2025
Anthem Can't Escape Family's Mental Health Parity Claims
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield must face a Virginia family's claim that the company violated a federal benefits law by refusing to cover an adolescent girl's stay in a residential mental health facility, with a Virginia federal judge deeming the suit strong enough to survive a dismissal motion Tuesday.
-
March 25, 2025
Trans Military Ban Rests On 'Unconvincing' Proof, Judge Says
A Washington federal judge hinted Tuesday he might block the Trump administration's ban on transgender troops later this week, expressing doubt that the U.S. Department of Defense has evidence to back its stance that gender dysphoria alone makes people unfit for military service.
-
March 25, 2025
ND Justices Weigh Liberty Rights In Abortion Ban Challenge
North Dakota's top court on Tuesday wrestled with whether a recently passed anti-abortion law violates personal liberty rights and questioned both sides about the meaning of exceptions to the ban written into the law.
-
March 25, 2025
Amid Abortion Fight, Idaho Bolsters Moral Objection Rights
A new law in Idaho — already the epicenter of a national clash over emergency abortion care — expands the conscientious objection rights of doctors and health professionals.
-
March 25, 2025
Antitrust In Healthcare: 3 Cases To Watch
Amid a Congressional probe into a long-standing antitrust exemption for a national medical resident matching system, a handful of healthcare groups are in court with allegations that trade organizations have violated antitrust laws.
-
March 25, 2025
Experts Warn Of 'Slippery Slope' In Judge Shopping Sanctions
A federal judge's judge shopping sanctions on lawyers challenging an Alabama transgender care ban were unusually harsh, legal experts said, and raise concerns about a chilling effect on advocates litigating similar cases in other jurisdictions.
Expert Analysis
-
FOIA Exemption Questions On Redacted HHS Cannabis Letter
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recent recommendation letter concerning the rescheduling of cannabis was heavily redacted, and based on an analysis on the applicability of Freedom of Information Act Exemption 5 to the letter, it's likely that we will see successful legal challenges to those redactions, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
-
A Primer On New Calif. Health Transaction Reporting Rules
New California regulations regarding the reporting of certain transactions involving healthcare entities, which took effect on Jan. 1, address some industry feedback about overly broad requirements but still leave several areas of concern, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.
-
In The CFPB Playbook: Rulemaking Rush Before Election Year
In this quarterly Consumer Financial Protection Bureau activity recap by former bureau personnel, attorneys at McGuireWoods explain the regulator's recent push to finalize new rules about data aggregators, digital payment apps and more before the election-year Congressional Review Act window opens.
-
What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like
As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
-
4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News
Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
-
Digging Into The Debate On FDA's Proposed Lab Test Rule
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.