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Health
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May 03, 2024
Ala. High Court Won't Rethink Decision On Frozen Embryos
The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday refused to revisit its February decision finding that frozen embryos count as children, a first-of-its-kind decision that has been received as potentially ruinous for in vitro fertilization services in the Yellowhammer State.
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May 03, 2024
BVI Co. Looks To Force $195M PPE Fight Into Arbitration
A British Virgin Islands company facing a jury trial next year in a $195 million lawsuit over a purchasing deal for personal protective equipment urged a Missouri federal judge Friday to send the dispute to arbitration in Oklahoma instead.
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May 03, 2024
Hospital In Novant Merger Beset By Staff Turnover, Court Told
The Federal Trade Commission and two healthcare companies used witness testimony Friday to paint competing pictures of a North Carolina hospital at the center of a $320 million merger dispute: one in which the hospital has focused on making quality improvements, and another where it's been plagued by poor ratings and high staff turnover.
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May 03, 2024
NJ Court Again Affirms Dismissal Of Suit Over Infant's Death
A New Jersey appeals court on Friday denied a bid from a couple to reinstate their malpractice suit over the death of their 6-month-old son, saying they failed to show they had substantially complied with the statute of limitations.
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May 03, 2024
Arby's Franchise, Auto Dealer Hit With Ga. Data Breach Suits
Workers at an Arby's franchise, a home nursing company and national car dealership have sued their employers in Georgia federal court, alleging the employers failed to safeguard sensitive personal information exposed in recent cyberattacks.
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May 03, 2024
How Big IP Judgment Winners Are Insuring 'Nuclear Verdicts'
Until a few years ago, intellectual property plaintiffs who scored large monetary awards — often referred to as "nuclear verdicts" — had to wait out a lengthy appellate process before knowing how much money they would end up with. But a relatively new type of insurance policy is allowing plaintiffs to insure part of their judgment in case it gets reduced or wiped out on appeal.
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May 03, 2024
Colo. Justices' Med Mal Cap Ruling A Win For Patients
The Colorado Supreme Court's recent decision prohibiting trial courts from considering an injured patient's insurance liabilities before imposing the state's $1 million medical malpractice damages cap was the right call, experts say, and prevents an unfair windfall for negligent health care providers.
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May 03, 2024
Aetna To Pay $2M To End LGBTQ Fertility Coverage Suit
A group of Aetna policyholders said Friday that the insurance giant has agreed to pay $2 million and revise certain health insurance guidelines to settle a proposed class action alleging its definition of infertility made it difficult and expensive for LGBTQ couples to obtain coverage for fertility treatments.
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May 03, 2024
Law Firm Pans Photographer's IP Suit Over Website Image
The Schmidt Firm asked a Texas federal judge Friday to ax a professional photographer's allegations the Dallas-based firm illegally posted his copyrighted image of convicted sexual abuser and ex-Columbia University obstetrician-gynecologist Robert Hadden on its website without permission.
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May 03, 2024
Publix Can't Send Questions To Ga. Justices In Opioid Suit
A federal judge overseeing national opioid litigation has rejected Publix's bid to ask the Georgia Supreme Court "convoluted and confusing" questions about if the state's public nuisance law applied to allegations the supermarket chain overdistributed painkillers.
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May 03, 2024
Medical Testing Co. Not In Health Field For Taxes, IRS Says
A company that fills medical testing orders for its customers is nonetheless not a business involved in performing services in the health field for certain tax purposes, the Internal Revenue Service said in a private letter ruling released Friday.
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May 03, 2024
Conn. Dentists Settle Govt's Illegal Patient Recruiting Suit
Two Connecticut dental practices and their co-owners have settled a federal false claims lawsuit accusing them of making illegal payments to a patient recruiter to generate business through Medicaid, agreeing to fork over about $187,000 over five years, plus 4% interest.
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May 03, 2024
4th Circ. Preview: Hemp, Wells And A Withdrawal
The Fourth Circuit's second session of 2024 will have the court pondering the tension between Virginia's recent hemp restrictions and federal regulations, and how the Truth in Lending Act impacts a case accusing PNC Bank of an unauthorized account withdrawal.
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May 03, 2024
Ohio Statehouse Catch-Up: Trans, Abortion Laws Face Battles
Ohio lawmakers have shepherded controversial bills impacting healthcare, social media and other matters into law in recent months, prompting lawsuits and even a veto from Gov. Mike DeWine.
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May 03, 2024
6 States Strike $270M Opioid Deal With Amneal
The New York state attorney general on Friday said that a $270 million multistate deal had been reached with opioid manufacturer Amneal Pharmaceuticals for its role in the addiction epidemic over allegations that the company failed to report suspicious orders of the narcotics.
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May 03, 2024
HHS Finalizes Rule To Expand Health Coverage For Dreamers
Immigrants brought to the U.S. as children without authorization will no longer be excluded from federal health insurance programs, under a new regulation finalized Friday that will permit enrollment through Affordable Care Act exchanges.
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May 02, 2024
7th Circ. Mostly Backs Ill. Home Health Kickbacks Judgment
The Seventh Circuit on Thursday largely left intact an Illinois federal judge's $6 million ruling that a home health care company broke federal kickback laws, refusing to reverse the lower court's liability finding but directing it to ensure its damages award was calculated correctly.
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May 02, 2024
Endo Judge Hopes Criminal Sentence Warns Opioid Makers
A Michigan federal judge said Thursday she hoped Endo's criminal sentence for falsely advertising a pain medication as "abuse deterrent" would itself be a deterrent for other opioid makers, as she accepted the company's recent $200 million settlement deal with federal prosecutors.
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May 02, 2024
Walgreens Fights $1B Arb. Award Over COVID Test Contract
At-home lab test maker Everly Health urged a Delaware federal judge to affirm its nearly $1 billion arbitration award against Walgreens over claims the pharmacy chain deliberately misused the digital health platform's trademark while secretly diverting COVID-19 tests to its own pharmacists while Walgreens argued the arbitrator overstepped his authority in bestowing such an "egregious" award.
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May 02, 2024
Masimo Hit With Derivative Suit Over Audio Co. Acquisition
The top brass at medical device company Masimo Corp. has been hit with a shareholder derivative action claiming they harmed the company and "confused" investors by pushing through a $1 billion acquisition of an audio equipment company, allegedly causing a steep drop in stock prices and a $5.1 billion market capitalization loss.
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May 02, 2024
DaVita Says Nurses Trying Go Around Wage Rulings
Nationwide kidney care service provider DaVita Inc. has urged a Colorado federal judge to reject a bid by nurses and technicians to merge their wage class action with another suit, arguing Wednesday the plaintiffs are seeking to "circumvent" earlier rulings limiting the case's reach.
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May 02, 2024
Lawmaker Wants Antitrust Probe Of Health Insurance Data Co.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is calling for antitrust enforcers to investigate concerns that MultiPlan and other healthcare data companies are hurting competition by helping health insurers effectively collude when making pricing decisions.
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May 02, 2024
Investors Not Entitled To Info, Sequel Youth Tells Chancery
A once-thriving chain of youth treatment facilities that came under scrutiny after a private equity firm bought it in 2017 urged Delaware's Court of Chancery on Thursday to toss a lawsuit from two former executives who demanded financial information about their "eviscerated" investments, arguing that the company didn't have to provide it.
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May 02, 2024
State Legislators Urge Feds To Change Cannabis' Status
A coalition of state lawmakers on Thursday urged the heads of the U.S. Department of Justice and its drug enforcement agency to prioritize changing cannabis' status as a highly restricted drug.
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May 02, 2024
Colo. Panel Says COVID Can Trigger Workers' Compensation
A Colorado appellate court panel on Thursday ruled for the first time that COVID-19 can be considered an "occupational disease" under the state's workers' compensation law and affirmed the award of benefits to a woman whose husband died of the novel coronavirus while working at a skilled nursing facility.
Expert Analysis
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HR Antitrust Compliance Crucial Amid DOJ Scrutiny
The Justice Department's Antitrust Division recently announced a required human resources component for antitrust compliance programs, which means companies should evaluate their policies to prevent, detect and remediate potential violations as they add training for HR professionals, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Lessons From Rare Post-Verdict Healthcare Fraud Acquittal
A Maryland federal court recently overturned a jury verdict that found a doctor guilty of healthcare fraud related to billing levels for COVID-19 tests, providing defense attorneys with potential strategies for obtaining acquittals in similar prosecutions, says attorney Andrew Feldman.
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ChristianaCare Settlement Reveals FCA Pitfalls For Hospitals
ChristianaCare's False Claims Act settlement in December is the first one based on a hospital allegedly providing private physicians with free services in the form of hospital-employed clinicians and provides important compliance lessons as the government ramps up scrutiny of compensation arrangements, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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Texas Ruling Clarifies That Bankruptcy Shields LLC Rights
A Texas bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in In re: Envision makes it clear that the Bankruptcy Code preempts a section of Delaware state law that terminates a member’s interest in an LLC upon a bankruptcy filing, clarifying conflicting case law, say Larry Halperin and Joon Hong at Chapman and Cutler.
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Series
Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.
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SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap
As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.
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The Latest Antitrust Areas For In-House Counsel To Watch
The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission's increasingly aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement means in-house counsel should closely monitor five key compliance issues, say attorneys at Squire Patton.
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Despite Risks, AI Is A Worthy Tool For Healthcare Industry
Artificial intelligence appears to provide a productive path forward for the healthcare industry, improving economic and human health outcomes, though companies must continue to address certain technology and compliance pain points, says Sarah Abrams at Bowhead Specialty Underwriters.
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Navigating New Regulations In Healthcare And Other M&A
While notice requirements recently enacted in several states are focused on the healthcare industry for now, this trend could extend to other industries as these requirements are designed to allow regulators to be a step ahead and learn more about a transaction long before it occurs, say Kathleen Premo and Ashley Creech at Epstein Becker.
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New CMS Rule Will Change Nursing Facility Disclosures
A new rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services significantly expands disclosure requirements for nursing facilities backed by private equity companies or real estate investment trusts, likely foreshadowing increased oversight that could include more targeted audits, say Janice Davis and Christopher Ronne at Morgan Lewis.
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Skirting Anti-Kickback Causation Standard Amid Circuit Split
Amid the federal circuit court split over the causation standard applicable to False Claims Act cases involving Anti-Kickback Statute violations, which the First Circuit will soon consider in U.S. v. Regeneron, litigators aiming to circumvent the heightened standard should contemplate certain strategies, say Matthew Modafferi and Terence Park at Frier Levitt.
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What To Know About WDTX Standing Order For Patent Cases
Patent litigators should review and ensure compliance with the standing order recently issued by U.S. District Judge Alan Albright of the Western District of Texas — a popular patent litigation venue — which encompasses new deadlines, seeks to streamline discovery disputes, and further reflects the court's existing practices, says Archibald Cruz at Patterson + Sheridan.
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What New Calif. Strike Force Means For White Collar Crimes
The recently announced Central District of California strike force targeting complex corporate and securities fraud — following the Northern District of California's model — combines experienced prosecutorial leadership and partnerships with federal agencies like the IRS and FBI, and could result in an uptick in the number of cases and speed of proceedings, say attorneys at MoFo.
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Healthcare Collabs Can Alleviate Labor, Antitrust Challenges
Two major challenges facing hospitals and health systems include labor shortages and increased antitrust scrutiny at both federal and state levels, but collaborative efforts may help with addressing these difficulties, says Sumaya Noush at McDermott.
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Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout
While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.