Policy & Compliance

  • December 08, 2025

    Hi-Tech Pharma, CEO Want New Trial In Feds' Fraud Case

    A health supplement company's CEO, who was largely acquitted of federal fraud and conspiracy charges last month, asked a Georgia federal judge Friday to toss the lone conviction he faced, arguing that allowing the charge to stand "would constitute a miscarriage of justice."

  • December 08, 2025

    Justices Say Louisiana Law Can't Bar HIV Discrimination Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court told a Louisiana appeals court Monday that it incorrectly found that a state law protecting healthcare providers from civil liability during public health emergencies bars an HIV patient from alleging federal discrimination claims after being denied aquatherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • December 08, 2025

    Justices Pass On Challenge To NJ Hospital Charity Rule

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it won't review a New Jersey Supreme Court decision that a state requirement to treat patients regardless of the patient's ability to pay does not amount to an unconstitutional per se or regulatory taking.

  • December 08, 2025

    High Court Wants Feds' Input On Health Workers' Vax Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court asked Monday for the federal government's input on a group of religious workers' challenge to a pandemic-era New York state policy requiring healthcare providers to make their employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.

  • December 05, 2025

    Juror Who Alleged Misconduct Dismissed From Opioid Trial

    A juror in Florida hospitals' $1.5 billion trial against the three major pharmacy chains over opioid dispensing was dismissed Friday after a judge found that her allegations of serious misconduct against another juror were largely unwarranted.

  • December 05, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Unfreeze Trump Cuts To Student Mental Health

    The Ninth Circuit rejected the Trump administration's effort to undo a lower court's pause on federal funding reductions to K-12 mental health services, siding with a coalition of 16 states seeking to preserve programs established in the wake of high-profile school shootings.

  • December 05, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs NJ In-State Rule For Medical Aid In Dying

    A Delaware woman with terminal cancer cannot end her life with medical assistance in New Jersey, the Third Circuit ruled Friday in a precedential opinion, finding that the Garden State residency requirement for medical aid in dying is restricted solely to New Jerseyans.

  • December 05, 2025

    ERISA Recap: 4 Rulings Worth Paying Attention To From Nov.

    The Ninth Circuit striking down a class action win for transgender employee health plan participants who said their gender-affirming care denials were discriminatory is just one noteworthy Employee Retirement Income Security Act ruling from November. Here's a recap of that ruling and three others.

  • December 05, 2025

    Justices Take On State Court Review Doctrine Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to consider whether an appellate court correctly invoked the doctrine blocking federal courts from reviewing state court judgments in a case concerning an involuntary hospital commitment.

  • December 05, 2025

    Georgia Turns To 11th Circ. In Trans Prisoner Care Fight

    The Eleventh Circuit will get a chance to weigh in on a district judge's recent decision requiring the Georgia Department of Corrections to provide hormone therapy to transgender inmates, according to a Friday filing in federal court.

  • December 05, 2025

    CDC Panel Ends Recommendation Of Hepatitis B Shot At Birth

    A panel of federal vaccine advisers on Friday voted to lift a long-standing recommendation that all newborns be given vaccinations for hepatitis B.

  • December 04, 2025

    11th Circ. Blocks Fla. City's Abortion Clinic Buffer Zone Law

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday ordered a preliminary injunction blocking a Clearwater, Florida, ordinance requiring a 5-foot buffer zone outside an abortion clinic, finding the city likely violated protesters' rights by burdening their ability to leaflet drivers.

  • December 04, 2025

    CDC Vaccine Committee Punts Hepatitis B Vote Again

    Federal vaccine advisers on Thursday put off a vote on changing guidelines for a long-used hepatitis B vaccine for infants, delaying again a decision expected to have wide-ranging ramifications for national childhood vaccine policy in the U.S.

  • December 04, 2025

    Credit Bureaus Can't Duck Suit Over Excluded Medical Debt

    A California federal judge has found that Equifax, Experian and TransUnion must face key parts of a rejiggered proposed antitrust class action from medical practices and collection agencies targeting the credit reporting agencies' decision to exclude medical debt under $500 from consumer credit reports.

  • December 04, 2025

    Mass. Justices Unlikely To Revive Verizon Tower Suit

    Justices on Massachusetts' highest court appeared unlikely to second-guess a local health board's decision to drop an enforcement action against Verizon over perceived health effects from a cell tower after the telecom filed suit.

  • December 04, 2025

    Pharma Cos. Denied Early Win In States' Price-Fixing Suit

    Twenty-six pharmaceutical companies failed to secure a quick win on overarching conspiracy claims in an antitrust case by the attorneys general of Connecticut and most other states, with a federal judge finding the "substantial bulk of evidence" points toward a broad industry scheme to fix 98 dermatology drug prices.

  • December 04, 2025

    $1M AAA Club Settlement Gets Final Nod In COBRA Suit

    A Michigan federal judge granted final approval Thursday to a $1 million settlement an American Automobile Association club brokered with a class of workers to resolve their suit claiming they weren't notified on time that they could extend their health insurance after their benefits ended.

  • December 04, 2025

    Vivimed To Pay $1.9M To End Losartan Economic Loss Claims

    Vivimed has agreed to pay $1.9 million to settle economic loss claims from a class of consumers and insurers related to its losartan product in sprawling multidistrict litigation over contaminated blood pressure medication, according to a Wednesday filing.

  • December 04, 2025

    Lawmakers Debate Higher Pay, Health Benefits For Boxers

    An effort to revamp American boxing got underway on Capitol Hill on Thursday as lawmakers deliberated over legislation to provide better pay and workplace protections for fighters, with Democrats expressing concern over the potential for corruption to flourish in the sport.

  • December 03, 2025

    Pharmacies Want Opioid Mistrial As Deliberations Stretch On

    The nation's three major pharmacy chains asked a Florida state judge Wednesday to declare a mistrial following 11 days of deliberations in a $1.5 billion case by hospitals over opioid dispensing, claiming jurors seem unaware that they are allowed to report a deadlock.

  • December 03, 2025

    Allstate Files RICO Suit Over Fla. Clinic's 'Exorbitant Charges'

    Allstate hit a Florida medical practice and its owner with a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act complaint alleging the owner ran an insurance billing scheme for pain management care in violation of permanent restrictions on his medical license.

  • December 03, 2025

    FDA Seizes $1M In Illegal 7-OH Opioid Products

    Federal regulators seized $1 million worth of illicit food products containing a kratom-derived compound from companies in Missouri, according to an announcement that said the action is part of the government's ongoing effort to crack down on the opioid-like supplement.

  • December 03, 2025

    Baxter Defeats Suit Over Stable Value Fund In $4B 401(k) Plan

    An Illinois federal judge tossed a suit Wednesday from a worker who said medical products company Baxter International Inc. violated federal benefits law by retaining a lackluster stable value fund in its $4 billion retirement plan, ruling the data backing his case failed to capture long-term performance.

  • December 03, 2025

    AT&T Sues Generic Drug Manufacturers, Alleging Price-Fixing

    AT&T has joined the bevy of litigants suing a swath of pharmaceutical companies over alleged generic drug price-fixing, claiming it shelled out billions of dollars for medication reimbursements to the drugmakers as part of its employee health plans when it could have spent far less if the drugs weren't subject to anticompetitive pricing.

  • December 03, 2025

    AGs Say Sun, Taro Settlement Mustn't Touch State Claims

    State attorneys general have asked a Pennsylvania federal judge to again ensure their claims remain untouched by a settlement between private plaintiffs and generic-drug makers in sprawling price-fixing litigation, this time focusing on a $200 million deal between Sun Pharmaceutical, Taro Pharmaceuticals and employee benefit plans.

Expert Analysis

  • Health Tech Regulatory Trends To Watch In 2025

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    With an upcoming change in administration and the release of some long-awaited rules, the healthcare industry should prepare for shifting trends, including a growing focus on health data and interest in technology-enabled delivery of healthcare, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • 10 Noteworthy CFPB Developments From 2024

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    In a banner year for consumer finance regulation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made significant strides in its efforts to rein in Big Tech and nonbank financial firms, including via rules regarding open banking, credit card late fees, and buy now, pay later products, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • The Future Of GLP-1 Policy After Drug Shortage Ends

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    If and when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determines that GLP-1 RA drugs are no longer in short supply, regulators will face questions of how to balance access to GLP-1 RAs with statutory and policy considerations applicable to compounded drugs, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2024

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    From a Florida federal court’s ruling that the False Claims Act’s qui tam provision is unconstitutional to a record-breaking number of whistleblower tips filed with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, employers saw significant developments in the federal and state whistleblower landscapes this year, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • How White Collar Defense Attys Can Use Summary Witnesses

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    Few criminal defense attorneys have successfully utilized summary witnesses in the past, but several recent success stories show that it can be a worthwhile trial tactic to help juries understand the complex decision-making at issue, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Nutraceutical Patent Insights As Market Heats Up

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    Companies entering the expanding nutraceutical market and seeking patents to protect their innovations should evaluate successful nutraceutical claim language and common patent challenges in this field, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • How White Collar Attys Can Use Mythic Archetypes At Trial

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    A careful reading of a classic screenwriting guide shows that fairy tales and white collar trials actually have a lot in common, and defense attorneys would do well to tell a hero’s journey at trial, relying on universal character archetypes to connect with the jury, says Jack Sharman at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • What 2024 Election Means For Drugs, Medicare And Medicaid

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    With Republicans running the White House, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, the incoming administration is likely to provide pathways — through new initiatives and others returning from Trump's previous presidency — for a range of potential changes to drug pricing, Medicare and Medicaid, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Justices Mull Sex-Based Classification In Trans Law Case

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in U.S. v. Skrmetti this week, it appears that the fate of the Tennessee law at the center of the case — a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender adolescents — will hinge on whether the majority read the statute as imposing a sex-based classification, says Alexandra Crandall at Dickinson Wright.

  • Key Takeaways From FDA's Latest Social Media Warnings

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's latest untitled letter concerning a drug company's social media promotion provides lessons for how companies should navigate risk presentation, FDA labeling requirements and superiority claims, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Rank-And-File DOJ Attorneys Will Keep Calm And Carry On

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    Career prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice often pride themselves on their ability to remain apolitical in order to ensure consistency and keep the department’s mission afloat, and the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to upend this tradition, says Michael Landman at Bird Marella.

  • Unpacking Arguments From High Court's Rural Hospital Case

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    During oral arguments in Advocate v. Becerra, the U.S. Supreme Court justices focused questions on the meaning of being "entitled to" supplementary security income assistance, and there's reason for optimism that the likely split decision will break in favor of hospitals, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Health Policy Predictions For Trump's Second Administration

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    As President-elect Donald Trump's nominations for health policy and enforcement heads work their way through the confirmation process, healthcare organizations can look at nominee backgrounds, campaign statements and actions from Trump's previous presidency to predict incoming priorities, say attorneys at McDermott.