Policy & Compliance
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March 25, 2025
BU Law Prof On The Evolution Of Med Mal Standard Of Care
Boston University law professor Christopher Robertson talks about the American Law Institute's first update on medical malpractice law in 60 years and the state law evolution towards a “reasonable” care standard.
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March 25, 2025
Hartford HealthCare Fights Disclosure Of Antitrust Settlement
Hartford HealthCare Corp. says it cannot be forced to reveal a confidential January antitrust settlement with another Connecticut hospital at the behest of a Teamsters health plan and a public transit agency separately accusing the consortium of creating a monopoly.
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March 25, 2025
Unnecessary Surgeries Drive Rare Va. Hospital Criminal Case
An unusual indictment in Virginia details grave allegations against a former doctor, including unnecessary surgeries and bogus cancer diagnoses. With former OB-GYN Javaid Perwaiz already in federal prison, the hospital where many of the procedures occurred is now facing criminal charges.
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March 24, 2025
Trump Picks Acting CDC Head After Weldon Nomination Fails
President Donald Trump on Monday nominated acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Susan Monarez to take over as the agency's director, a move that comes after Trump pulled his nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon for the position when it became clear Weldon lacked needed support.
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March 24, 2025
Wells Fargo Prescription Cost Suit Axed Over Standing
Wells Fargo has beaten back allegations that it violated federal benefits law by letting workers on its healthcare plan overpay for prescription drugs, with a Minnesota federal judge ruling Monday that the ex-workers behind the proposed class action lacked standing to sue.
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March 24, 2025
Investors Blame Electrotherapy Co.'s Practices For Stock Drop
Electrotherapy device maker Zynex Inc. faces a proposed investor class action claiming it harmed shareholders after it was booted from at least one insurer network for U.S. military members, allegedly due to oversupplying its customers.
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March 24, 2025
Patients Say UBH Limits On Mental Health Violated ERISA
Employee health benefit plan participants who sought coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatments from United Behavioral Health urged a California federal court to rule that the company violated federal benefits law by implementing overly restrictive guidelines, arguing the insurer's interest in narrowing coverage wrongly limited patients' access.
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March 24, 2025
Residents Rip Hospital Co.'s 'Scorched-Earth' Sanctions Bid
A proposed class of Connecticut residents pursuing antitrust claims against Hartford HealthCare Corp. slammed the company's bid to sanction them for seeking judicial enforcement of a document exchange deal the parties had reached, arguing that sanctions would only complicate discovery rather than help it along.
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March 21, 2025
Judge Says Anti-Abortion Group's Clinic Blockades Are Illegal
A New York federal judge ruled Thursday that an anti-abortion group violated federal and New York state laws prohibiting interference with reproductive health services, saying evidence made clear group members physically obstructed access to three reproductive health care clinics in New York City.
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March 21, 2025
Novartis Urges Court To Make FDA Block Entresto Generic
Novartis says the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has made a drug marketing exclusivity window "meaningless" and wants a D.C. federal judge to block a rival from selling a generic drug that would compete with its blockbuster heart medication Entresto.
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March 21, 2025
NC Top Court Revives Constitutional Claim In Forced Vax Suit
The North Carolina Supreme Court Friday partially revived a family's lawsuit alleging a 14-year-old was given a COVID-19 vaccine without his parents' consent, saying a federal law that shields certain activity aimed at resolving the spread of disease during a public health emergency covers tort injuries, not state constitutional violations.
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March 21, 2025
New Mexico Lawmakers Approve Medical Psilocybin Bill
New Mexico lawmakers have given final approval to legislation to create a regulated medical psilocybin program, sending the proposal to the governor's desk.
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March 21, 2025
Idaho Hospital Wins Reprieve From State Abortion Ban
Idaho's near-total abortion ban "must yield" to a federal requirement that doctors provide emergency abortions for pregnant women facing severe injuries, an Idaho federal judge ruled.
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March 20, 2025
Texas Says Planned Parenthood Can't Get Atty Immunity
Texas has urged the full Fifth Circuit to reconsider a panel's decision concluding that Planned Parenthood is entitled to attorney immunity in a whistleblower suit accusing the organization of improperly billing Medicaid programs, saying state-law attorney immunity doesn't apply.
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March 20, 2025
8th Circ. Won't Pause FTC's Insulin Pricing Case
The Eighth Circuit refused Thursday to pause the Federal Trade Commission's in-house case accusing Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and OptumRx of artificially inflating insulin prices while the pharmacy benefit managers challenge the constitutionality of the proceedings.
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March 20, 2025
MiMedx Challenges FDA Classification Of Wound Care Powder
Biomedical company MiMedx Group urged a Georgia federal judge on Thursday to overturn the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's classification of a wound care treatment as a biological product, arguing the agency misapplied its own regulations.
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March 20, 2025
4th Circ. Seems Open To Reviving Pregnant Worker's Bias Suit
The Fourth Circuit seemed receptive Thursday to a former hospital worker's argument that she was unlawfully fired for a pregnancy-related disability, pondering whether the lower court had relied on an outdated interpretation of disability bias law when it tossed her case.
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March 20, 2025
6th Circ. Judge Skeptical Of Mich. Newborn Screening Ruling
A Sixth Circuit panel questioned Thursday if Michigan's practice of holding onto blood samples collected through a newborn health screening program violates parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children, with one judge saying he didn't see evidence for that proposition.
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March 19, 2025
Abortion Case May Be Just The Start For Empowered Paxton
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's announcement of the first criminal charges under the state's abortion ban comes amid a political shift in which lawmakers are increasingly willing to empower the state's top legal office, potentially setting up a court battle over how much clout the AG should wield.
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March 19, 2025
Judge Questions Standing In DEI Executive Orders Challenge
A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday questioned whether three civil rights nonprofits have standing to block the Trump administration's executive orders ending federal diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs and cutting off funding for groups focused on minority populations.
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March 19, 2025
Utah Hospital Can't Nix EMTALA Claim In Suicide Attempt Suit
A Utah federal court denied a hospital's second attempt to toss a patient's claim under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, finding that facts remain in dispute regarding the patient's admittance and subsequent transfer to another facility following a suicide attempt.
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March 19, 2025
Amazon's PillPack Agrees To Pay $6.5M To End TCPA Suit
The lead plaintiff has asked a Washington federal judge to approve a $6.5 million settlement to end a class action alleging Amazon.com affiliate PillPack LLC was responsible for unsolicited telemarketing calls that violated a federal consumer law restricting robocalls and texts.
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March 19, 2025
Ohio Opioid Judge Says Texas Court Should Hear Appeal Bid
An Ohio federal judge overseeing multidistrict opioid litigation denied Albertsons Cos.' request to appeal its summary judgment loss in the bellwether case brought by a Texas county, saying Wednesday that since pretrial proceedings are now done, the appeal should head to the appellate court for the Lone Star State.
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March 19, 2025
Anesthesiology Giant Says Private Antitrust Suit Has No Legs
U.S. Anesthesia Partners wants out of a proposed class action accusing it of monopolizing the Texas anesthesia market through a private equity-powered "roll-up" strategy, saying the man behind the lawsuit doesn't have standing to sue and has simply "repackaged" FTC allegations.
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March 19, 2025
UMass Medical Execs To Face Retaliation Claim In Vax Dispute
The medical director at UMass Memorial Medical Center has won dismissal of retaliation claims brought by one of the Massachusetts institution's former compliance executives who declined a COVID-19 vaccine, but two other leaders will have to face claims that the ex-executive's firing was tied to her request for work accommodations.
Expert Analysis
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In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023
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.
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How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
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.
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Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2023
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.
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Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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The State Of CFPB Focus On Credit Reporting Of Medical Debt
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.
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FDA's Recent Litigation Records Are Strong, But Imperfect
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notched its share of litigation wins in recent years thanks to a number of key advantages, but the FDA has been less successful in certain highly visible arenas, Jonathan Berman and Colleen Heisey at Jones Day.
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5 Steps For Healthcare Companies After Biden's AI Order
Rather than simply monitoring for the issuance of agency guidelines on artificial intelligence in the wake of President Joe Biden's October executive order, health and life sciences companies should take action now and begin building internal operational and technical infrastructures designed to govern the use of AI, says Joy Sharp at Faegre Drinker.
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Giving The Gov't Drug Patent March-In Authority Is Bad Policy
The Biden administration's recent proposal to allow government seizure of certain taxpayer-funded drug patents is a terrible idea that would negate the benefits of government-funded research, to the detriment of patients and the wider economy, says Wayne Winegarden at Pacific Research Institute.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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When Patients Have Standing For Hospital Antitrust Suits
Brown v. Hartford Healthcare Corp., recently decided by a Connecticut state court, provides a useful examination of how antitrust standing issues may be analyzed when patients directly sue a healthcare system for anti-competitive conduct, says Charles Honart at Stevens & Lee.
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ESG Around The World: Singapore
Singapore is keen to establish itself as a leading international financial center and a key player in the sustainable finance ecosystem, and key initiatives led by its government and other regulatory bodies have helped the Asian nation progress from its initially guarded attitude toward ESG investment and reporting, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.