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April 24, 2024
Panel Reinstates Suit Over Hospital Workers' COVID Deaths
A New Jersey appellate panel on Wednesday reinstated a suit seeking to hold two hospitals liable for the COVID-19 deaths of a hospital aide and a nurse during the early stages of the pandemic, saying the trial judge made improper findings of fact regarding allegedly reckless conduct.
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April 24, 2024
Ditching H-1Bs, Foreigners Hone Skills To Get Visas Faster
U.S. employers and foreigners are increasingly chasing alternatives to the highly coveted but elusive H-1B visa — a turn of events that is leading immigrants to establish themselves as some of the most distinguished experts in their fields.
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April 24, 2024
Conn. Healthcare Co. Will Pay $1.5M To End Data Breach Suit
Merritt Healthcare Advisors has pledged a $1.525 million settlement fund for more than 88,000 people whose personal information was exposed in a data breach in 2022, with class counsel at Laukaitis Law LLC and Cole & Van Note in line to receive $508,283, according to a motion for preliminary approval in Connecticut federal court.
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April 24, 2024
UPMC Affiliate Can't Avoid False Claims Suit Over NIH Grant
A research foundation affiliated with a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center hospital can't duck a former employee's claims that the foundation mishandled grant money and fired her for raising concerns, though UPMC itself is off the hook, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
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April 24, 2024
McKesson Ends Ex-Sales VP's Title VII Suit Over Vax Refusal
McKesson Corp. reached an agreement with a former sales vice president to end her lawsuit accusing the drug distributor of firing her because her Christian beliefs barred her from getting the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a filing in North Carolina federal court.
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April 24, 2024
Kaiser Wins $6.7M Real Estate Tax Refund Linked To Nonprofit
A split Washington appeals panel said that the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington was entitled to a $6.7 million real estate excise tax refund levied after its acquisition of the nonprofit Group Health Cooperative, reversing a trial court.
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April 24, 2024
Bill To Repeal 'Zombie' 1864 Abortion Ban Clears Ariz. House
Legislation that would repeal an 1864 law banning almost all abortions in Arizona narrowly cleared the state House on Wednesday after a handful of Republican lawmakers crossed party lines to help Democrats muscle the measure through following a bruising debate.
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April 24, 2024
Justices Spar On Interplay Of EMTALA, Idaho Abortion Ban
The U.S. Supreme Court held a feisty debate Wednesday over whether an Idaho abortion ban is superseded by a federal law requiring doctors at Medicare-funded hospitals to give emergency care, including abortions, to women suffering a medical crisis.
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April 24, 2024
Anthem Faces Class Action Over Cancer Treatment Denials
Anthem Health Plans Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action in Connecticut alleging that it routinely denies requests for proton beam radiation therapy, a cancer treatment that the complaint asserts is recognized as "established, medically appropriate, safe and effective" but which the insurer deems experimental.
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April 24, 2024
Sheppard Mullin Healthcare Team Adds Crowell & Moring Atty
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP announced the fifth addition to its healthcare industry team this year on Wednesday, welcoming a former Crowell & Moring LLP partner with broad corporate transactional and governance expertise.
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April 24, 2024
Private Equity Lag Continues To Stunt M&A Growth
Large leveraged buyout activity remained muted in the first quarter as the refinancing of old private equity loans took precedence over new loans, contributing to a slower-than-anticipated rebound in overall mergers and acquisitions, according to a new report from data provider PitchBook.
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April 24, 2024
NY Medical Clinic Investor Sues In Del. To Inspect Corp. Books
A shareholder of Juno Care Systems Inc. sued in Delaware's Court of Chancery on Wednesday for books and records, saying it needed them to investigate whether the board and officers of the medical clinic operator had breached their fiduciary duties to shareholders or wasted corporate assets.
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April 24, 2024
Healthcare Co. Reaches Deal To Exit Pension Plan Suit
A healthcare company struck a deal with a class of retirement plan participants to end their suit accusing it of stacking its $500 million pension plan with costly funds and failing to keep fees low, according to a filing in Massachusetts federal court.
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April 23, 2024
Calif. Fertility Clinic Implanted Dead Embryos, Couples Say
An Orange County, California, fertility clinic accidentally destroyed embryos but still implanted them into patients in an attempt to cover up its mistakes, nine couples said in a suit filed Tuesday in Golden State court.
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April 23, 2024
AGs Urged To Probe Anti-Abortion Centers' Privacy Claims
A watchdog group on Tuesday pressed the attorneys general from Idaho, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington to investigate certain "crisis pregnancy centers" that are allegedly misrepresenting their compliance with federal health privacy law, arguing that the organizations are exploiting consumers' misconception that the statute broadly protects their medical data.
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April 23, 2024
Doctor Renews $20M Claim His Hospital Made Up 25 Murders
An Ohio physician accused of 25 counts of murder and found guilty of none just renewed his $20 million malicious-prosecution suit against Trinity Health Corp., the parent company of his former employer, claiming that the company misled prosecutors to get him indicted as a distraction from the internal issues of the hospital where he worked.
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April 23, 2024
GoodRx Hid Revenue Reliance On Kroger, Suit Claims
GoodRx Holdings Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action alleging it concealed from investors the indispensability of its relationship with Kroger, leading to share declines when GoodRx announced revenue would be severely impacted because the grocery chain would no longer be accepting its discount codes.
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April 23, 2024
Expert Doc's License Probation Upends $6.5M Med Mal Verdict
An Ohio state appeals panel has vacated a $6.5 million verdict in a medical malpractice trial by a son alleging a doctor and hospital are responsible for his mother contracting deadly pneumonia, saying the trial court should have allowed the defense to cross-examine the plaintiff's expert on a prior probation of his medical license.
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April 23, 2024
Drugmakers Hit With RICO Suit Over Insulin Price Hikes
The world's three largest insulin manufacturers engineered an enormous increase in the price of the lifesaving diabetes medication through an "unfair and deceptive conspiracy" with household-name pharmacies, letting all involved reap extraordinary profits for 20 years, according to a lawsuit in Connecticut federal court.
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April 23, 2024
Fenwick, Covington Build $750M Sale Of Pharmaceutical Biz
Global biopharmaceutical company Incyte, advised by Covington & Burling LLP, on Tuesday announced plans to buy clinical-stage drug discovery company Escient Pharmaceuticals, led by Fenwick & West LLP, for $750 million.
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April 23, 2024
La. Atty Asks Justices To Stay Frivolous Filing Fine
A Louisiana attorney is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to bail her out of a $29,000 penalty from a district judge for frivolous filings and claiming that she was poisoned in retaliation for claims against Louisiana State University's medical residency program.
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April 23, 2024
Feds Seek To Bar Fox Rothschild Atty From Fraud Retrial
The government is seeking to bar a Fox Rothschild LLP partner from testifying as an expert witness for the defense in the retrial of a federal securities fraud case that ended in a dramatic mistrial after a lone juror told the judge that he disagreed with the guilty verdict the forewoman had delivered to the court.
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April 23, 2024
Virtua Says Trinity Health Won't Pay $12M ER Fight Legal Bill
Virtua claimed Monday in New Jersey federal court that Trinity Health has backed out of an agreement to cover $12 million in counsel fees and costs incurred in a legal fight with a rival healthcare system over Virtua's acquisition of Our Lady of Lourdes Health Care Services from Trinity.
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April 23, 2024
Colo. Neural Privacy Law Has Attys Scratching Their Heads
Colorado's governor signed the nation's first law specifically protecting neural data last week, but privacy attorneys say key caveats in the legislation leave them unsure how far the measure really goes.
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April 23, 2024
DOJ Unveils $139M Deal For Larry Nassar Victims
The U.S. Department of Justice will pay $138.7 million to settle 139 tort claims accusing the Federal Bureau of Investigation of not doing enough to stop the sprawling, decades-long sexual abuse of hundreds of victims at the hands of USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar, according to a Tuesday announcement.
Expert Analysis
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What Workplace Violence Law Means For Texas Healthcare
While no federal laws address violence against healthcare workers, Texas has recently enacted statutory protections that take effect later this year — so facilities in the state should understand their new obligations under the law, and employers in other states would be wise to take notice as well, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.
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5 Models For Structuring Health Provider-Payor Partnerships
With recent data showing that the U.S. continues to spend more and get less for healthcare services compared to other industrialized nations, providers and payors should consider a variety of partnership structures that can help achieve the so-called triple aim of improving the health of individuals and populations while reducing per capita costs, says John Howard at Thompson Coburn.
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Employers Should Take Surgeon's Sex Bias Suit As A Warning
A Philadelphia federal jury's recent verdict in a sex bias suit over Thomas Jefferson University's inaction on a male plaintiff's sexual harassment complaint is a reminder to employers of all stripes about the importance of consistently applied protocols for handling complaints, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.
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Business Litigators Have A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment
As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.
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What FTC's 'Killer Acquisition' Theory Means For Pharma Cos.
The Federal Trade Commission's recent lawsuit to block Sanofi's acquisition of a pharmaceutical treatment developed by Maze Therapeutics builds on previous enforcement actions and could indicate the agency's growing willingness to use its so-called killer acquisition theory against perceived attempts to eliminate nascent competition, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Series
Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.
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The Road Ahead For Florida's Drug Importation Program
Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Florida's drug importation program in January, a series of hurdles — including requisite buy-in from Canada — and potential legal challenges must be addressed before importation can begin, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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What Attorneys Need To Know About H-1B Lottery Changes
The newly revamped H-1B lottery process opened Wednesday and promises to bring more fairness to securing highly competitive slots, giving more companies a chance to access highly skilled workers, say Renée Mueller Steinle and Elizabeth Chatham at Stinson.
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Assessing CDC's Revised Guideline On Opioid Prescriptions
Kenneth Weinstein, Nicholas Van Niel and Kate Uthe at Analysis Group look at newly available data to evaluate the impact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's revised opioid monitoring guideline have had on prescription trends in recent years, highlighting both specific and overall decreases.
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Bid Protest Spotlight: Conflict, Latent Ambiguity, Cost Realism
In this month's bid protest roundup, Markus Speidel at MoFo examines a trio of U.S. Government Accountability Office decisions with takeaways about the consequences of a teaming partner's organizational conflict of interest, a solicitation's latent ambiguity and an unreasonable agency cost adjustment.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC
The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Valeant Ruling May Pave Way For Patent-Based FCA Suits
The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling in Silbersher v. Valeant marks a significant development in False Claims Act jurisprudence, opens new avenues for litigation and potentially raises the stakes for patent applicants who intend to do business with the government, say Joshua Robbins and Rick Taché at Buchalter.
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What's New In FDA's Updated Data Monitoring Guidance
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new guidance on the use of data monitoring committees in clinical trials is set to replace the agency's 2006 guidance on the topic, with notable updates including stronger language indicating a more stringent stance against financial conflicts of interest and adaptation to recent changes in DMC structure, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.
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Opinion
Suits Against Insulin Pricing Are Driven By Rebate Addiction
A growing wave of lawsuits filed by states, cities and counties against insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers improperly allocate the blame for rising insulin costs, when in actuality the plaintiffs are partially responsible, says Dan Leonard at Granite Capitol Consulting.
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Conn. Data Privacy Enforcement Takeaways For Cos.
In light of the Connecticut attorney general's recently released report on its enforcement of the Connecticut Data Privacy Act, which focuses on companies' privacy policies, protections of sensitive data and more, businesses can expect increased enforcement scrutiny — especially in areas that are the subject of consumer complaints, say Paul Pittman and Abdul Hafiz at White & Case.