11th Circ. Scrutinizes Qui Tam History In FCA Challenge

By Dan McKay

The Eleventh Circuit Friday weighed both the history of whistleblower laws going back to the nation's founding and recent U.S. Supreme Court commentary on qui tam litigation in a closely watched challenge to the False Claims Act.

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1st Circ. OKs Barring Medicaid Planned Parenthood Coverage

By Hailey Konnath

A First Circuit panel on Friday upheld the Trump administration's ban on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, vacating a lower court's order that would've kept in place Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood clinics in 22 states.

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Ore. Justices Rule Docs Can Be Liable For Nonpatient Deaths

By Gianna Ferrarin

Oregon's highest court ruled that medical professionals can be held liable if their negligence results in a nonpatient's death, settling a split between a trial and appeals court in a case over a cyclist struck and killed by a driver under the influence of prescription drugs.

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Court Nixes NY Nursing Home's Win In COVID Immunity Suit

By Gianna Ferrarin

It was premature for a trial court to find that a liability statute protected a Bronx-based nursing home from a suit over a patient's death, a New York appellate court ruled Thursday, concluding further fact inquiry is needed in the case. 

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CooperSurgical Escapes Repeat Filshie Clip Claims In Conn.

By Aaron Keller

Medical device maker CooperSurgical Inc. has scored a quick win on some women's claims that the Filshie Clip, a coated titanium birth control device, detached and migrated within their bodies, with a Connecticut state judge finding certain plaintiffs could not advance cases similar to claims they lost elsewhere.

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Brief

Bill Would Let Fed Workers Use Uniformed Services Works

By Elliot Weld

Federal lawmakers have introduced a copyright bill to the U.S. House of Representatives that would give employees of the federal government permission to use literary works produced by civilian members of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences for work and other purposes.

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Wash. Fines Insurer $350K For 'Sharing Ministry' Health Plans

By Ben Adlin

Washington Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer has announced a $350,000 fine against a Texas-based insurer and other businesses over "healthcare sharing ministry" memberships that her office claimed violated state law by excluding coverage of preexisting conditions and services such as abortion.

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Molina Investor Sues Board Over Insurer's Guidance Cuts

By Sydney Price

Executives and directors of health insurance provider Molina Healthcare were hit with a shareholder's derivative suit Friday accusing them of misleading investors about medical cost trends and internal controls before repeatedly slashing the company's 2025 earnings guidance.

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Modivcare Wins Approval For Debt Swap In Ch. 11

By Emily Lever

A Texas bankruptcy judge agreed Friday to approve medical transportation company Modivcare's Chapter 11 plan, following a four-day valuation trial, clearing the way for the debtor's planned $1.1 billion debt-equity swap.

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Prospect Medical Wins OK For Chapter 11 Plan

By Clara Geoghegan

A Texas bankruptcy judge approved Prospect Medical Holdings Inc.'s Chapter 11 plan after overruling a slew of objections during an all-day hearing Friday and allowing the healthcare group to hand off its remaining hospitals and pursue litigation to repay creditors.

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Higgs Fletcher Forms White Collar, Regs Enforcement Team

By Andrea Keckley

San Diego-based law firm Higgs Fletcher & Mack LLP has launched a white collar crime and regulatory enforcement defense practice group, citing heightened regulatory scrutiny in the financial and healthcare sectors and rising enforcement risks for licensed professionals and institutions.

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Mississippi Litigator Joins Butler Snow From Adams & Reese

By Adrian Cruz

Butler Snow LLP announced that an experienced litigation and appellate attorney has joined the firm's healthcare practice in Ridgeland, Mississippi, after a stint with Adams & Reese LLP.

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Next Steps For Orgs. Amid Updated OpenAI Usage Policies

OpenAI's updates to its usage policies, clarifying that its tools are not substitutes for professional medical, legal or other regulated advice, sends a clear signal that organizations should mirror this clarity in their governance policies to mitigate compliance and liability exposure, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

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Nonprofits Face Uncertainty Over Political Activity Rules

Two federal court decisions suggesting that the Internal Revenue Service's rules for 501(c)(4) organizations' political activity may be too vague to survive constitutional scrutiny leave nonprofit organizations caught between constitutional limits on government regulation of speech and tax limits on their exempt status, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

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Opinion

Supreme Court Term Limits Would Carry Hidden Risk

While proposals for limiting the terms of U.S. Supreme Court justices are popular, a steady stream of relatively young, highly marketable ex-justices with unique knowledge and influence entering the marketplace of law and politics could create new problems, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

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Former DLA Piper Associate Alleges Ex-Partner Raped Her

By Lynn LaRowe

A former Boston-based DLA Piper associate on Monday launched a state lawsuit alleging she was raped at the firm's Delaware office by a former partner purportedly known for heavy drinking and inappropriate workplace conduct toward female subordinates.

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Bonus Spotlight

Elsberg Baker Exceeds, Cohen Ziffer Matches Atty Bonuses

By Tracey Read

Trial boutique Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC announced Monday that its associates will earn up to $226,250 in extra cash this year.

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'Hardworking' 9th Circ. Senior Judge Sandra Ikuta Dies At 71

By Hailey Konnath

Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta of the Ninth Circuit, who has been semi-retired since early November, died on Dec. 7 at the age of 71, exactly one month after assuming senior status, according to the Federal Judicial Center.

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ABA Flags AI Fears: Making Attys 'Worse At Their Jobs'

By Steven Lerner

The erosion of skills for junior associates, deepfakes as evidence in court and the lack of technical knowledge in law firms were among the top fears and challenges listed by the American Bar Association in a new report about artificial intelligence in the legal profession.

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Ex-US Attys Say Pardons, Loyalty Demands Hurt Rule Of Law

By Adrian Cruz

A bipartisan group of former U.S. attorneys spoke publicly Monday on their concerns regarding the direction the U.S. justice system has taken since the start of the second Trump administration and the potential risks that may pose to the rule of law.

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Arbitration Ruling Stands In Morgan & Morgan Class Action

By Chart Riggall

A Georgia federal judge said Monday she won't backtrack on her decision to send a malpractice lawsuit from a former client of Morgan & Morgan PA to arbitration, once again rejecting his arguments that his proposed class claims were exempt from an agreement to arbitrate disputes.

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Atty Seeks To Block Law Banning Fee-Sharing With ABS Firms

By Emily Sawicki

The attorney challenging a California law that blocks fee-sharing with out-of-state law firms owned by nonlawyers has petitioned for enforcement of the law to be suspended before it is set to go into effect on Jan. 1.

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Judge Won't Boot Bondi-Appointed Prosecutor In LA

By Emily Sawicki

A federal judge has refused to reconsider his ruling disqualifying Bill Essayli from holding the role of U.S. attorney but allowing him to serve as the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, finding that Essayli's appointment by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi is valid.

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Judge Willing To Take 'Heat' For Blocking ICE Arrest, Jury Told

By Nate Beck

A Wisconsin judge was willing to "take the heat" for using a staff hallway to usher an unauthorized immigrant out of her courtroom, a federal jury heard Monday, as a defense attorney argued she can't be found guilty by association just because someone in her courtroom tried to flee immigration agents.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jeff Montgomery

Litigation in Delaware's Court of Chancery sprawled from a dispute over control of banana plantations along Africa's Congo River to a fight over the late musician Prince's estate last week. Along the way, a court ruling rejected a motion for a quick decision favoring Blue Bell Creameries director and officer calls for liability releases in a tainted ice cream saga that dates to 2015.

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