Policy & Compliance
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October 23, 2025
6th Circ. Panel Torn On Mich. 'Conversion Therapy' Ban
A Sixth Circuit panel appeared divided Thursday about whether to block enforcement of Michigan's ban on conversion therapy for minors as the U.S. Supreme Court grapples with a nearly identical Colorado law.
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October 23, 2025
Ex-Exec Accused Of Stealing IVF Co.'s Trade Secrets
The co-founder of a Garden State genetic testing company abruptly quit, deleted all the data on his company laptop — including the only copy of some materials — then took the trade secrets to help a competitor, according to a lawsuit filed in New Jersey federal court.
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October 23, 2025
Telehealth Ketamine Provider Hit With Wrongful Death Suit
Online ketamine therapy provider Mindbloom was hit with a wrongful death suit in North Carolina state court by the father of a 27-year-old man who says his medical history should have disqualified him from receiving the allegedly dangerous anesthetic.
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October 23, 2025
2nd Circ. Says NY Health System Must Face Race Bias Claims
The Second Circuit reinstated a suit Thursday from a Black registered dietitian who said her boss berated her and fired her out of prejudice, ruling the former employee put forward enough detail to keep some of her race bias claims afloat.
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October 23, 2025
Ex-DOJ, WilmerHale Attys Latest To Join Democracy Forward
Democracy Forward on Thursday announced the addition of four attorneys, including a former U.S. Department of Justice appellate leader and a longtime assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia.
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October 23, 2025
McGuireWoods Asks NC Justices To Stay Defamation Case
McGuireWoods LLP and a former partner are asking North Carolina's highest court to halt a defamation case over statements made in connection with an investigation into the former CEO of a managed care organization, saying they risk permanently losing their immunity defense if the suit is allowed to move forward.
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October 23, 2025
5th Circ. Revives Religious Bias Suit Over DOD Vaccine Policy
The Fifth Circuit breathed new life into a proposed class action claiming the U.S. Department of Defense unlawfully slow-walked civilian employees' requests for religious exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccination directive, saying the mandate getting rescinded didn't nullify the lawsuit.
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October 22, 2025
Judge Voids HHS Rule Banning Gender Identity Discrimination
A Mississippi federal judge on Wednesday struck down a Biden-era U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule that protected gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act, ruling that federal officials exceeded their authority by broadening the definition of sex discrimination to cover gender identity.
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October 22, 2025
State AGs Push Back In First Amendment Subpoena Fight
A coalition of state attorneys general is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to safeguard their fundamental investigative authority, warning in an amicus brief filed Tuesday that a New Jersey anti-abortion center's challenge could allow subpoenaed entities to routinely bypass state courts and tie up enforcement actions in federal litigation.
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October 22, 2025
NIH Sued For Access To Research On Trans Youth Care
A conservative government watchdog group sued the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday seeking access to data from a multiyear study on the impact of gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender youth.
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October 22, 2025
Ed Dept. Must Face States' Case Over Mental Health Grants
A Seattle federal judge declined to throw out a lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Education of illegally discontinuing grants for student mental health programming, recognizing that Washington and other states have valid claims that the move will cut them off from money meant for reducing violence in schools.
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October 22, 2025
States Back Boston Hospital In Fight Over Trans Care Records
A group of states backed a Boston hospital in its bid to block the Trump administration from accessing transgender care records, warning a federal judge that allowing the government's request could expose a wide variety of doctors to criminal charges.
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October 22, 2025
Obstetrician's Win Upheld In 'Outrageous Terminology' Suit
A Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a trial court's decision that an Atlanta obstetrician's allegedly "outrageous terminology" wasn't "extreme and dangerous," and that she didn't intentionally inflict emotional distress when she told a couple their stillborn child had been "decapitated" during delivery.
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October 22, 2025
DOJ Pushes To Pause DACA Health Suit Due To Shutdown
Pointing to the government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Justice asked a North Dakota federal judge to pause litigation over a regulation that allowed immigrants brought to the U.S. as children without authorization to access Affordable Care Act health coverage.
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October 21, 2025
Novo Nordisk Says Officials Not Qualified To Doubt Drug Bills
Attorneys for Novo Nordisk Inc. on Tuesday sought to undercut witness testimony that Medicaid claims in Washington state for the company's hemophilia drug NovoSeven were shockingly high, leading one state auditor to suspect fraud.
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October 21, 2025
Anesthesia Giant Cuts Deals To End Hospital Antitrust Cases
North America's largest anesthesia provider has reached settlements ending antitrust claims from hospitals in New York and Florida as well as counterclaims accusing the hospitals of illegally recruiting away clinicians, according to court filings.
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October 21, 2025
MAHA Insider Talks 'Fever Point' For Healthcare
A MAHA insider says the healthcare industry should be prepared amid a massive cultural shift on health issues.
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October 21, 2025
Healthcare Laws This Week: Drug Pricing, AI And Aid In Dying
Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at a proposal by congressional Democrats to scale back Medicare price negotiation exemptions for so-called orphan drugs, new chatbot safeguards enacted in California to prevent youth suicide and other legislative developments affecting the healthcare industry this week.
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October 21, 2025
4th Circ. Backs Hospital's Firing Of Christian Vaccine Refuser
The Fourth Circuit declined Tuesday to reinstate a lawsuit from a hospital worker who claimed she was illegally fired for refusing to get immunized against COVID-19 because of her Christian faith, agreeing with the hospital that letting her remain unvaccinated would have put patients at risk.
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October 21, 2025
Calif. Court Backs Birth Battery Claim, Split On Gender Abuse
A California appeals court has reinstated a medical battery lawsuit brought by a woman who accused her obstetrician of forcing an unwanted procedure on her during childbirth, but the court rejected her claim that the act constituted gender-based violence, prompting a sharp judicial dissent.
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October 21, 2025
Supreme Court Medina Ruling Erodes Public Health Networks
Healthcare advocates in more than a dozen states are bracing for Planned Parenthood's ouster from public benefit programs after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June.
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October 21, 2025
Texas Doctor Vows Court Battle After Ivermectin Sanction
Four years after a confrontation outside a Fort Worth hospital, the Texas Medical Board reprimanded a doctor who arranged to have ivermectin delivered to a COVID-19 patient. Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a vocal critic of vaccine mandates and a frequent litigant, says she's ready for more legal battles.
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October 21, 2025
'Ghost' Mental Health Providers Haunt Medicare Advantage
A new federal report looks at a widespread problem within Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care plans of networks riddled with "ghost providers."
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October 20, 2025
Drugmakers Say Conn. Law Illegally Extends Beyond State
A group of generic drug manufacturers has asked a Connecticut federal court to block the enforcement of a new price-control law against sales that occur outside of Connecticut, claiming that the law violates the U.S. Constitution.
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October 20, 2025
Tylenol Maker Tells FDA Not To Add Autism Warning
Tylenol maker Kenvue on Friday told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reject a call to add warnings about the risk of using acetaminophen during pregnancy, saying that "expansive" scientific evidence shows there is no proven link between the over-the-counter drug and autism.
Expert Analysis
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Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments
A law recently passed in Massachusetts amends the commonwealth's False Claims Act by dramatically expanding potential liability for private equity firms and investors, underscoring the importance of robust diligence and risk assessments for private equity firms conducting transactions in the commonwealth, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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What Trump Actions Mean For Federal Research Funding
New guidance from the National Institutes of Health represents a massive policy shift regarding federal funding for researchers at institutions of higher education, contributing to a perfect storm of significant resource shortfalls in upcoming years, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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A Look At Healthcare Transaction Oversight In Oregon
Understanding Oregon's enforcement authority and its impact on proposed transactions last year provides a road map to the state's plans to strengthen its processes this year, though enforcement could be challenged by ongoing litigation, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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High Court Must Acknowledge US History Of Anti-Trans Laws
Despite Justice Amy Coney Barrett's claim to the contrary during oral arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti, U.S. governments at every level have systematically discriminated against transgender people, and the U.S. Supreme Court must consider this historical context in upcoming cases about transgender issues, says Paisley Currah at the City University of New York.
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The Fate Of Biden-Era Clinical Study Guidance Under Trump
Draft guidance about the study of sex and gender differences in medical product development issued by the outgoing Biden administration currently faces significant uncertainty and litigation potential due to the Trump administration's executive orders and other actions, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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10 Issues To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting
This year, in addition to evergreen developments driven by national security priorities, disruptive new technologies and competition with rival powers, federal contractors will see significant disruptions driven by the new administration’s efforts to reduce government spending, regulation and the size of the federal workforce, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.
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Dispelling 10 Myths About Health Provider-Based Compliance
Congress appears intent on requiring hospitals to submit provider-based attestations for all off-campus outpatient hospital locations, so now is the time for hospitals to prepare for this change by understanding common misconceptions about provider-based status and proactively correct noncompliance, say attorneys at McDermott.
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A Look At HHS' New Opinion On Patient Assistance Programs
A recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General follows a recent trend of blessing patient assistance program arrangements that implicate the Anti-Kickback Statute, as long as they are structured with appropriate safeguards to minimize the risk of fraud and abuse, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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2 Anti-Kickback Developments Hold Lessons For Biopharma
The U.S. Department of Justice's Anti-Kickback Statute settlement with QOL Medical and a favorable advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provide a study in contrasts, but there are tips for biopharma manufacturers trying to navigate the vast compliance space between them, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.
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Tips For Pharma-Biotech Overlap Reporting In New HSR Form
While there’s no secret recipe for reporting overlaps to the Federal Trade Commission in the new Hart-Scott-Rodino Act form, there are several layers of considerations for all pharma-biotech companies and counsel to reflect on internally before reporting on any deal, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.
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A Look At Drug Price Negotiation Program's Ongoing Impact
More than two years after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the rapid implementation of the drug price negotiation program, attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss how the IRA has influenced licensing strategies, and how maximum fair prices under the law have economically affected certain drugs.
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Preparing For A Possible End To The Subminimum Wage
The U.S. Department of Labor's proposed rule to end the subminimum wage for employees with disabilities may significantly affect the community-based rehabilitation and training programs that employ these workers, so certified programs should be especially vigilant about compliance during this period of evaluation and scrutiny, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.