Policy & Compliance
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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.
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March 19, 2025
Law360 Announces The Members Of Its 2025 Editorial Boards
Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2025 Editorial Advisory Boards.
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March 19, 2025
Purdue Pharma Files New $7.4B Ch. 11 Plan Settlement
Bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP filed a new Chapter 11 plan in a New York bankruptcy court, including a $6.5 billion payment from members of the Sackler family who own the company and $900 million from the debtor, that aims to compensate thousands of creditors for damages from opioid sales.
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March 18, 2025
Texas Abortion Charges, HHS Rehirings And FTC Deal Warning
The Trump administration is seeking an emergency halt of a Maryland federal court order that led the Department of Health and Human Services to delay the terminations of almost 3,000 probationary employees, arguing it has burdened HHS and over a dozen other federal agencies behind the mass firings. Here, Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at these and other significant cases and decisions that shaped the healthcare industry over the last week.
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March 18, 2025
HHS Seeks Early Win Over Lilly, Novartis, BMS In Rebate Row
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urged a D.C. federal judge Monday to grant it an early win against behemoth drugmakers' claims that it unlawfully blocked their plans to offer after-the-fact rebates, rather than up-front discounts, to safety-net hospitals via a decades-old federal drug pricing program.
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March 18, 2025
Ga. Hospital Failed To Protect Data Of 120K, Patient Says
A former patient of a southwest Georgia hospital hit the provider with a proposed class action Monday over a data breach last year, alleging that it failed to secure 120,000 customers' personal information before it was filched in a cyberattack.
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March 18, 2025
NIH Avoids Contempt In Trans Case Despite Judge's Criticism
A federal judge said there is no clear evidence that the National Institutes of Health's revoking a Washington hospital's research grant violated her order blocking President Donald Trump's efforts to cut funding for gender-affirming care for young people, but the judge chastised the administration for its "narrow and self-serving view" of what makes up care.
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March 18, 2025
Ky. Abortion Ban Carveouts Stir Concerns Over Clarity
Kentucky lawmakers passed a bill spelling out medical exceptions to the state's strict post-Dobbs abortion ban. The bill, drafted by anti-abortion lawmakers, is stoking concerns that it could lead to more restrictions in emergency situations.
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March 18, 2025
Reg Attys Talk FTC Healthcare and Antitrust Under Ferguson
Regulatory attorneys focused on the healthcare industry aren't expecting huge changes in federal antitrust activity under new leadership at the Federal Trade Commission.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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'Patient' Definition Ruling Raises Discount Drug Questions
A South Carolina federal court's recent decision in Genesis Health Care v. Becerra supports a broader definition of a "patient" eligible to receive discounted drugs under the Section 340B program, but raises a host of novel questions regarding how the decision will affect covered entities and enforcement actions, say attorneys at McDermott.