Policy & Compliance
-
January 31, 2025
After High Court, SuperValu's $123M FCA Case Heads To Trial
SuperValu is bound for trial in February over whistleblower claims that it billed the government higher-than-customary prices for millions of prescriptions, marking an important test of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that revived the case and redefined the standard of proof under the False Claims Act.
-
January 31, 2025
Trump Funding Freeze Blocked As Court Doubts Reversal
A Rhode Island federal judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from freezing spending on federal grant and aid programs, calling the move illegal and saying the issue was not mooted by a White House memo claiming the directive had been rescinded.
-
January 31, 2025
JAMS Adds AI-Focused Litigation Vet To Arbitration Team
The alternative dispute resolution service JAMS has expanded its arbitration and mediation team with the addition of an attorney with over three decades of experience spanning complex commercial litigation, independent arbitration and leadership positions at the American Bar Association.
-
January 31, 2025
RFK Jr. Says He'll Give Stake In Merck Vaccine Case To Son
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's pick for the nation's top healthcare position, said Friday that he would hand his financial stake in personal injury litigation against vaccine maker Merck over to an adult son.
-
January 30, 2025
Plaintiffs, Pfizer Spar Over Where To Join Depo-Provera Suits
Consumers who claim Pfizer Inc. failed to adequately warn patients and doctors about the risk of brain tumors associated with the hormonal contraceptive drug Depo-Provera urged the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Thursday to consolidate their cases but sparred over whether to move them to California or New York.
-
January 30, 2025
Ga. Businesses 'Over The Moon' With Tort Reform Proposals
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp unveiled a long-awaited tort reform package Thursday that, if passed, would limit businesses' premises liability, limit plaintiffs' attorneys' rhetoric around damages and require increased disclosures for third-party litigation funding, among a slew of other proposals.
-
January 30, 2025
DOJ Calls UnitedHealth Dismissal Bid A Discovery 'End Run'
The U.S. Department of Justice assailed UnitedHealth Group on Wednesday for "masquerading" a "premature" discovery bid as a motion to dismiss the government's Maryland federal court lawsuit challenging the $3.3 billion purchase of home health and hospice giant Amedisys Inc.
-
January 30, 2025
RFK Blasts Industry 'Puppets' Amid HHS Nomination Fight
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday that federal scientific panels are rife with conflicts of interest that have turned them into "sock puppets" for industry, as he faced a second day of intense questioning on Capitol Hill and sought support for his nomination as secretary of health and human services.
-
January 29, 2025
Albertsons Must Face County's Opioid Nuisance Claims
Albertsons Cos. Inc. can't escape a Texas county's public nuisance claims stemming from opioid sales at the grocery giant's in-store pharmacies, an Ohio federal judge ruled Tuesday, saying there's a "common law duty of care" for pharmacies not to expose the county to a "reasonably foreseeable" risk of harm.
-
January 29, 2025
Lab Co-Owner Gets 9 Years For $369M COVID Testing Scheme
The co-owner of a California medical laboratory was sentenced to nine years in prison after being accused of conspiring to defraud Medicare and private insurers out of $369 million by submitting claims for medically unnecessary tests during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.
-
January 29, 2025
White House Rescinds Trump's Spending Freeze
The White House on Wednesday rescinded a directive freezing federal funding, saying it wants to end litigation and confusion, but said the move will not end a review of spending to ensure compliance with a series of executive orders by the president.
-
January 29, 2025
RFK Jr. Disputes Anti-Vax Label In HHS Confirmation Hearing
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted Wednesday morning to convince Republican and Democratic lawmakers that he is not anti-vaccine, despite many of his past comments to the contrary, as he hopes to convince them to confirm his appointment as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
-
January 28, 2025
Trump Targets Gender-Affirming Care For Minors In New Order
President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies late Tuesday to take steps to halt gender-affirming care for minors, including by cutting off Medicaid and military health coverage for what he called a "stain on our nation's history."
-
January 28, 2025
Minn. AG Settles Novo Nordisk Insulin Claims With Price Cap
Minnesota's attorney general has reached a settlement resolving a long-running lawsuit accusing Novo Nordisk of inflating insulin prices, with the company agreeing to a $35 per month cap on out-of-pocket costs for state residents.
-
January 28, 2025
Wash. Judge Asks If Dr.'s Ivermectin Discipline Was Political
A Washington appellate judge asked Tuesday if a doctor who was disciplined by a medical board for prescribing the controversial drug ivermectin to COVID-19 patients was targeted for his political views, while another judge asked if "all lies" about medical information are protected speech.
-
January 28, 2025
Questions To Watch For In RFK Jr.'s Confirmation Hearing
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to appear on Capitol Hill as he tries to secure the top position at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Here are some of the questions healthcare lawyers and others want to see addressed about his "Make America Healthy Again" pledge.
-
January 28, 2025
Feds Say Health System Can't Ditch Fraud Suit Over Surgeries
The federal government and state of Washington urged a judge on Monday to allow their suit against a hospital operator to move forward, saying they have provided more than enough detail to support allegations that the health system knew a doctor was performing unnecessary surgeries.
-
January 28, 2025
Trump's CMS Suit U-Turn, Sacklers Settle, And Trans Suit Stay
Law360 Healthcare Authority recaps the significant cases and decisions that shaped the healthcare industry over the past week, including the Trump administration’s reversal on a case challenging the Medicare Advantage star rating system, a freeze on a lawsuit over a Biden-era gender dysphoria rule, and the Sackler family’s $7.4 billion opioid settlement.
-
January 28, 2025
Hospitals Brace For Immigration Agents, Legal Clashes
The Trump administration’s move to allow immigration enforcement at "sensitive" locations is pushing hospitals to scrutinize their legal obligations under HIPAA and other state and federal laws.
-
January 28, 2025
CFPB's Medical Debt Rule In Peril Under Trump
A last-minute effort by the Biden administration to ease the burden of medical debt could face a perfect storm of regulatory and legal challenges under President Donald Trump, potentially quashing momentum to achieve relief for those saddled with unpaid healthcare bills.
-
January 27, 2025
VA To Nix $6.1M In Contracts Under Trump's DEI Order
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that it has placed dozens of employees on paid leave and will cancel $6.1 million worth of contracts as part of efforts to root out diversity, equity and inclusion activities.
-
January 25, 2025
Trump Revives Federal Anti-Abortion Policies
President Donald Trump issued two executive orders Friday targeting abortion inside and outside the United States, reinstating a ban on federal funding for certain international family planning groups and revoking a pair of Biden-era directives supporting abortion access.
-
January 24, 2025
Anti-Abortion Group Seeks High Court Review Of NJ Probe
An anti-abortion pregnancy center operator wants the U.S. Supreme Court to revive its federal court challenge to a subpoena from the New Jersey attorney general that seeks information about its donors, urging the court in a petition for certiorari to resolve a legal "Catch-22."
-
January 24, 2025
J&J Escapes Part Of Worker's Drug Benefits Suit, For Now
A suit alleging Johnson & Johnson overcharged employees through a prescription drug benefits program was partially tossed Friday, with a New Jersey federal judge ruling the suing worker failed to show the court could provide any remedies on her claims that plan members overpaid for medicine.
-
January 24, 2025
Feds Drop HIPAA Charges Against Houston Surgeon
The federal government has dropped criminal charges against a Texas surgeon accused of improperly accessing patient information and sharing information about the hospital's gender-affirming care practices with the press.
Expert Analysis
-
The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
-
10 Takeaways From New HHS Federal Compliance Guidelines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recently issued general compliance program guidance is the first of its kind that would apply across all health care stakeholders, and signals the agency’s first step to improve and update existing compliance guidance, says Melissa Wong at Holland & Knight.
-
2 HHS Warnings Highlight Anti-Kickback Risks For Physicians
Two recent advisory opinions issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General involve different scenarios and rationales, but together they illustrate the OIG's focus on and disapproval of contractual joint ventures and other revenue-maximizing physician arrangements, say Robert Threlkeld and Elliott Coward at Morris Manning.
-
Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary
The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
-
Cross-Market Implications In FTC's Anesthesia Complaint
The Federal Trade Commission's recent complaint against a private equity firm's acquisition of anesthesiology practices highlights the controversial issue of cross-market harm in health care provider mergers, and could provide important insights into how a court may view such theories of harm, say Christopher Lau and Dina Older Aguilar at Cornerstone Research.
-
AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
-
Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
-
ESG Around The World: South Korea
Numerous ESG trends have materialized in South Korea in the past three years, with impacts ranging from greenwashing prevention and carbon neutrality measures to workplace harassment and board diversity initiatives, say Chang Wook Min and Hyun Chan Jung at Jipyong.
-
General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
-
A Look At Healthcare Timelines Set By Biden's AI Order
President Joe Biden's artificial intelligence executive order establishes standards for using AI in the healthcare industry, including a number of staggered deadlines that should help coordinate a more unified federal approach to AI governance, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
-
A Look At Successful Bid Protests In FY 2023
Attorneys at Sheppard Mullin look beyond the statistics in the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s recent annual report on bid protests, sharing their insights about nine categories of sustained protests, gained from reading every fiscal year 2023 decision in which the protester had a positive result.
-
Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.
-
FDA's Lab-Developed Test Rule May Bring Historic Challenges
If finalized, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's proposed rule for regulating laboratory-developed tests will provoke some of the most interesting legal challenges that the agency has faced in decades, with outcomes that will likely reverberate across the agency's product centers, says Stacy Amin at MoFo.