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Health
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April 17, 2024
Walgreens Investors' $36M Deal In Opioid Suit Gets First OK
An Illinois federal judge on Wednesday granted his initial approval of a $36 million settlement to end a stockholder's derivative suit accusing Walgreens and its leadership of failing to limit retail pharmacies from dispensing unreasonable amounts of opioids.
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April 17, 2024
Damages Still Possible In Lease Tax Reimbursement Row
A Court of Federal Claims judge has ruled that the General Services Administration could unilaterally adjust the real estate tax reimbursement methodology under a lease for the Defense Health Agency's headquarters building, but the building owner may still be owed damages.
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April 17, 2024
GAO Says Company Rightly Left Out Of $1B Medicare IT Deal
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied a company's protest over its exclusion from a $1 billion Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services information technology deal, saying the protester proposed using types of workers not covered by an overarching contract.
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April 17, 2024
NC Justices Fear UNC Doc Wants 'Dramatic' Immunity Expansion
The North Carolina Supreme Court expressed concern Wednesday over a "dramatic" broadening of public official immunity if they accepted the arguments of a University of North Carolina doctor looking to escape a defamation lawsuit alleging he made up accusations to incite a vindictive investigation into a going away party for a subordinate.
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April 17, 2024
Lab Whistleblower Drops COVID Test Suit After Feds Pass
An ex-lab director has dropped his False Claims Act lawsuit alleging he was ousted from a diagnostic testing firm for raising concerns about regulatory violations and improper billing of federal health care programs, closing his Washington federal court case just days after the government declined to intervene.
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April 17, 2024
Seattle Says Firefighters' Amended Vax Complaint Still Flawed
The city of Seattle insisted Wednesday that fatal flaws remain in an amended complaint from firefighters who sued over the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, including a failure to link religious discrimination and due process claims to Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins and other named defendants.
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April 17, 2024
FDA Denies Marketing For 65 MNGO Disposable E-Cigarettes
The latest action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on e-cigarettes was to tell a Chinese company to take its range of 65 e-cigarette products in a variety of flavors from menthol to pink lemonade and watermelon off the market.
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April 17, 2024
Pennsylvania Hospital Cuts $32.5M Birth Injury Deal Midtrial
Partway through a trial over an infant's brain damage allegedly caused by medical malpractice, a Pennsylvania hospital has agreed to settle the matter for $32.5 million, according to attorneys pursuing the claims on behalf of the child's mother in state court.
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April 17, 2024
'Ringleader' Of Black Market HIV Drug Scam Gets 9 Years
A New York federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a pharmacy operator to nine years in prison for spearheading a $13 million scheme to sell black market HIV medication and collect fraudulent reimbursements from Medicaid and Medicare.
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April 17, 2024
EmblemHealth Pushes IRS To Hand Over $6.7M Tax Refund
Not-for-profit insurance company EmblemHealth asked a New York federal court Wednesday to grant it a nearly $6.7 million tax refund, saying the Internal Revenue Service left a voicemail accepting its refund claim in February but still hasn't delivered the money.
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April 17, 2024
Compass Group Gets New Damages Trial In $8M Death Suit
A California state appeals court has rejected cross-appeals from food service giant Compass Group USA Inc. and a mother suing it for negligence in a wrongful death suit that ended in an $8 million verdict, sending the case back for a new trial on damages.
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April 17, 2024
Manatt Adds NY Bankruptcy, Financial Regulatory Partners
Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP announced that it hired a pair of experienced New York-based attorneys who focus their practices on regulatory matters as partners in its bankruptcy and financial regulatory practices.
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April 17, 2024
WashU Medical School Settles Claims Of Asylee Bias, Firing
The Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has settled claims that it fired a worker who complained that he was being forced to prove he held asylum, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
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April 17, 2024
Ex-Pharma Exec's Contempt Plea Rejected By Judge
A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday rejected a former pharmaceutical executive's agreement to plead guilty to contempt for using an alias to get around a consent judgment in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fraud case, saying both the former executive and the government knew he'd view the sentence as too low.
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April 17, 2024
Ga. Justices To Examine 'Actual Malice' In Atty's Libel Case
The Supreme Court of Georgia has agreed to take up a contentious defamation case, pitting an orthopedic surgeon against a defense attorney known for criticizing "litigation networks" of plaintiffs attorneys and doctors, that could determine how difficult it is to sue attorneys accused of bad-mouthing third parties to other attorneys.
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April 16, 2024
House Panel Takes Aim At Change Healthcare, FTC Over Hack
A House subcommittee exploring ways to boost cybersecurity in the healthcare industry on Tuesday blasted Change Healthcare for failing to take appropriate steps to block a damaging cyberattack that echoed another recent strike on critical infrastructure and the Federal Trade Commission for not stopping the provider from controlling such a large market share.
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April 16, 2024
Eli Lilly's Insulin Price Cap Deal Collapses After Cert. Denial
Eli Lilly & Co. and insulin buyers have called off a proposed nationwide settlement that would've capped insulin prices and been worth up to $500 million over several years, a decision that was made after the buyers lost a class certification bid early this year, according to the buyers' counsel.
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April 16, 2024
NC Treasurer Backs FTC On Hospital Merger Challenge
North Carolina's treasurer agreed Monday that Novant Health's $320 million plan to pick up a pair of hospitals is a bad idea, throwing its weight behind the Federal Trade Commission's challenge to the deal in federal court.
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April 16, 2024
Texas Court OKs Expert Report, Reinstates Patient Death Suit
A Texas appellate court on Tuesday reinstated a suit accusing a hospital of contributing to the death of a gastric sleeve surgery patient due to malpractice, saying the plaintiffs' medical expert's mandatory report satisfied state guidelines.
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April 16, 2024
Ohio Bans On Transgender Care, Youth Sports Halted By Judge
An Ohio state court on Tuesday blocked a law that bans gender-affirming healthcare for children and prohibits transgender girls from competing in girls' school sports, issuing a temporary restraining order more than a week before the statute was to go into effect.
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April 16, 2024
Amazon Beats Suit After Injured Drivers Bury Medical Details
Amazon can't be held liable in a personal injury lawsuit accusing an affiliate semitruck driver of rear-ending a family's vehicle, Michigan appeals court has ruled, saying it's not the court's responsibility to dig through a "huge stack of medical records" to find information favorable to the plaintiff.
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April 16, 2024
NY High Court Zeroes In On Abortion Coverage Exemptions
New York's highest court grappled Tuesday with whether a state regulation's exemption process shielding religious groups from a requirement that employee health plans cover abortions conflicted with a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court decision, with multiple judges questioning the constitutionality of the carveout procedure.
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April 16, 2024
Mich. Justices Flag Bias Potential In Lost-Pay Damage Awards
Michigan Supreme Court justices asked about double-dipping damages and whether implicit bias could skew projections of a child's lifetime earnings as they examined whether to back lost wages awards in wrongful death cases Tuesday.
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April 16, 2024
Ex-NBA Guard Gets 18 Months In Healthcare Scheme
A former Detroit Pistons point guard was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday after being convicted of one of two counts over an alleged scheme to defraud the NBA's healthcare plan, with a Manhattan federal judge saying his proceeds were "not chump change" and faulting his behavior on pretrial release.
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April 16, 2024
Nursing Home Foot Amputation Suit Sent Back To Trial Court
An Ohio appeals panel has revived a man's suit alleging an assisted living facility failed to notice his foot ulcer, leading to his foot's eventual amputation, saying the trial court wrongly concluded the facility was not a nursing home under state law and therefore didn't have a duty.
Expert Analysis
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Direct Claims Ruling May Alter Gov't Ties To Software Firms
A recent Federal Circuit decision allowing a software developer to pursue legal action under the Contract Disputes Act could change the government's relationship with commercial software providers by permitting direct claims, even in third-party purchase situations, say Dan Ramish and Zach Prince at Haynes Boone.
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AI In Accounting Raises OT Exemption Questions
A recent surge in the use of artificial intelligence in accounting work calls into question whether professionals in the industry can argue they are no longer overtime exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, highlighting how technology could test the limits of the law for a variety of professions, say Bradford Kelley at Littler and Stephen Malone at Peloton Interactive.
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What To Know About State-Level Health Data Privacy Laws
Companies that handle consumer health data, including those in the retail sector, should take a conservative approach when interpreting the scope of new health privacy laws in Washington, Nevada and Connecticut, which may include development of privacy notices, consent procedures, rights request response processes and processor contracts, say attorneys at Hunton.
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Opinion
Intoxicating Hemp Products: It's High Time For Clarity
Thanks to ambiguity in the 2018 Farm Bill, intoxicating hemp cannabinoid products are largely unregulated and are widely available without restrictions on who can buy the products, and although there are several possible solutions, voluntary industry action by good actors is the best option, say Andrew Kline and Tommy Tobin at Perkins Coie.
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HHS' Updated Tracking Tech Guidance Offers Little Clarity
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights' updated guidance on the use of online tracking technologies appears more focused on legal issues raised in ongoing litigation with the American Hospital Association and less on practical guidance for covered entities, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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What Rescheduling Could Mean For Cannabis Bankruptcies
Bankruptcy courts have historically been closed for cannabis-related businesses, but recent case law coupled with a possible reclassification of cannabis provides cautious optimism, say attorneys at Duane Morris.
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Opinion
Pharmacies Need More Protection Against PBM Fee Practices
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' recent reform regarding direct and indirect remuneration fees will mitigate the detrimental effects that pharmacy benefit manager policies have on struggling pharmacies, but more is needed to prevent PBMs from exploiting loopholes, says Bhavesh Desai at Mazina Law.
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Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.
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Takeaways From The 2023 DOJ Fraud Section Report
Attorneys at Wiley discuss notable trends from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently reported Fraud Section activity last year and highlight areas of enforcement to watch for in the future, including healthcare fraud and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.
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Hospitals Must Adapt To Growing Cybercrime Threats
As the tide of cybersecurity attacks targeting the healthcare industry continues to grow, hospitals and healthcare providers must take steps to protect themselves, including by replacing legacy records systems and ensuring that business associate agreements address responsibility for breaches, says Christine Chasse at Spencer Fane.
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Assessing FDA Pathways For Genome-Edited Plant Foods
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent clarification of the regulatory pathways for foods produced from genome-edited plants seeks to strike a balance between public health and innovation, and may hold broader significance for developers of novel human foods subject to voluntary notification programs, say Emily Marden and Diane McEnroe at Sidley Austin.
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Opinion
Proposed MDL Management Rule Needs Refining
Proponents of the recently proposed Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16.1 believe it may enhance efficiency in multidistrict litigation proceedings if adopted, but there are serious concerns that it could actually hinder plaintiffs' access to justice through the courts — and there are fundamental flaws that deserve our attention, says Ashleigh Raso at Nigh Goldenberg.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.