More Healthcare Coverage

  • March 22, 2024

    Patient Asks NC Justices To Skip Immunity Review Of Virus Law

    A patient who claims she nearly died from a botched hysterectomy urged the North Carolina Supreme Court to ignore a hospital's bid to expand the immunity healthcare providers can receive under the state's COVID-19 emergency law, arguing the medical providers conflate common law and statutory immunity.

  • March 22, 2024

    Kaiser's Ozempic Coverage Denial Is Discriminatory, Suit Says

    Two Kaiser plans' refusal to cover new prescription weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy is "without any medical or scientific basis," a Washington state resident told a state court, alleging disability discrimination.

  • March 22, 2024

    Detroit Hospital, Deaf Patient Can't Avoid Trial In Disability Suit

    Detroit's Henry Ford Health System may face a jury trial in a deaf patient's lawsuit claiming she was denied an American Sign Language interpreter, with a Michigan federal judge refusing to grant summary judgment to either the hospital or the patient.

  • March 22, 2024

    6th Circ. Says Fired Doctor Got Enough Due Process

    The Sixth Circuit backed two Ohio healthcare companies and Wright State University's early wins against a former resident doctor's claims that she was improperly fired for unprofessional conduct, stating that all the parties involved engaged in "more than enough due process" before terminating her.

  • March 21, 2024

    MDL Claims Over Merck's Gardasil Vax Get Trimmed

    Pharmaceutical giant Merck need not face many of the claims by patients who allege their autoimmune conditions were caused by its HPV vaccine, a North Carolina federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation ruled, saying the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act bars most claims made in the first two bellwethers.

  • March 21, 2024

    VA May Have Acted In Bad Faith On $30M Debt Collection Deal

    The U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals refused to toss a $29.6 million appeal accusing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of hampering a contractor's efforts to collect funds from outside insurers, saying the VA may have acted in bad faith.

  • March 20, 2024

    PTAB To Analyze Moderna COVID Vaccine Patents

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has agreed to review two Moderna COVID-19 vaccine patents challenged by rivals Pfizer and BioNTech as having "unimaginably broad claims directed to a basic idea that was known long before."

  • March 20, 2024

    Defunct Philly Hospital Inks $32M End To Birth Injury Suit

    A defunct Philadelphia hospital has agreed to pay $32 million to resolve allegations that a delayed cesarean section caused a baby to suffer severe brain damage, Kline & Specter announced Wednesday.

  • March 19, 2024

    Healthcare Provider Says Optum Can't Duck Suit Or Arbitrate

    An East San Gabriel Valley nonprofit healthcare system has urged a California federal judge not to toss, or force into arbitration, its antitrust suit accusing Optum Health of lying to patients as part of broader efforts to force the system out of the local primary care physicians market.

  • March 19, 2024

    Nurses Snag Collective Cert. In OT Suit Against Insurance Co.

    A Maryland federal judge signed off on a collective of nurses in an overtime suit, turning down a health insurance company's request to use a stricter, one-step method to grant collectives under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

  • March 19, 2024

    Fla. Judge Inclined To Grant CNN's Costs In Defamation Suit

    A Florida judge said Tuesday he might trim parts of CNN's $320,000 request for attorney fees and costs incurred defending a defamation suit brought by a West Palm Beach pediatric heart surgeon but declined the doctor's request for a wholesale reduction. 

  • March 18, 2024

    Fla. Doc's Patient Info Subpoena Seeks Too Much, Court Says

    A Florida state trial judge shouldn't have approved subpoenas seeking a decade's worth of medical records from a patient who filed a malpractice suit against a doctor and hospital system, an appeals court has ruled, saying the defendants were allowed to cast "too wide a net."

  • March 18, 2024

    The Biggest Trade Secrets Awards In The Last 5 Years

    Trade secrets cases are having a moment in the spotlight, thanks to some gargantuan damages awards over the past five years and more flexibility for plaintiffs to argue for what they think they are owed.

  • March 15, 2024

    Ohio Obstetrician Keeps Trial Win In Suit Over Baby's Death

    An Ohio state appeals court has refused to overturn a trial win for an obstetrician accused of medical malpractice in the delivery of an infant who died shortly after birth, finding that the parents aren't allowed to question the doctor about whether his hospital privileges were pulled following the death.

  • March 15, 2024

    Ohio Ambulance Co. Says HR Firm Botched Tax Returns

    An Ohio ambulance company accused its human resources management firm of failing to accurately prepare and submit amended tax returns that would have allowed the company to claim pandemic-era tax credits, according to a complaint filed in an Ohio federal court.

  • March 15, 2024

    Pa. University Knocks Out Surgeon's $15M Sex Bias Win

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has erased a $15 million verdict won by a surgeon who said Thomas Jefferson University ignored his claims that a female resident sexually assaulted him, ruling that text messages he sent warranted a new trial.

  • March 15, 2024

    Conservative Law Group Asks Justices To Hear FDA Vape Suit

    A free-market advocacy group and a vape industry association are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to upend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision denying a manufacturer permission to sell flavored vapes, arguing that the FDA is "moving the goalposts" when it comes to what kind of data is needed when applying.

  • March 14, 2024

    Cannabis Cos. Say Federal Position On Pot Is Irrational

    The federal ban on marijuana is plainly irrational and negatively affects operators in state-regulated cannabis markets, depriving them of their constitutional rights, a group of marijuana companies told a Massachusetts federal judge on Friday.

  • March 14, 2024

    Medical Waste Co. Beats Sales Reps' Equal Pay Suit

    An Illinois federal judge tossed a suit brought by four female sales representatives for a medical waste company claiming they were paid less than their male counterparts, ruling that the case couldn't proceed without more proof that prejudice caused the pay differences.

  • March 14, 2024

    NJ Urologist Keeps Win In Prostate Procedure Med Mal Suit

    A New Jersey appeals panel won't let a man revive his claims alleging a urologist botched a prostate procedure resulting in his inability to ejaculate, finding the trial court was correct in finding that his standard of care expert should be excluded.

  • March 13, 2024

    Ariz. Families Sue For Wrongful Death Amid Healthcare Scams

    The families of two Native American men are suing the state of Arizona and several of its entities, alleging that they're liable for their loved ones' deaths due to a lack of oversight on the "so-called sober living crisis" that led to one of the largest healthcare scandals in the state's history.

  • March 13, 2024

    Hospital Asks NC Justices To Take Up Virus-Law Immunity Case

    Healthcare providers are pressing the North Carolina Supreme Court to review a lower court's finding that the state's COVID immunity law isn't fatal to a medical malpractice suit, warning that the decision would have drastic consequences on a liability shield from pandemic-related suits.

  • March 13, 2024

    Judge Says COVID Test Suit Depends On Conn. Justices

     A Connecticut federal judge trimmed several claims from a $783,000 suit over a COVID-19 testing bill that a health plan administrator allegedly failed to pay, but declined to rule on certain state law issues until the state's highest court can shed light on the statutes in an upcoming ruling.

  • March 13, 2024

    Aetna Can't Avoid Bias Suit Over Fertility Treatment Policy

    Aetna must face a proposed class action alleging it readily covers fertility treatments for infertile heterosexual women but forces non-heterosexual women to spend thousands out of pocket before paying for their treatments, with a Connecticut federal judge saying it doesn't matter if the insurer didn't control the health plan's terms.

  • March 12, 2024

    NYC Orthodontics Chain Can't Shake Staff's OT Wage Suit

    A New York City chain of orthodontics practices must face the bulk of workers' claims that it denied adequate overtime compensation and targeted a former employee for retaliation after she complained about wage practices.

Expert Analysis

  • Louisiana's Toxic Tort Barrier May Be Weakening

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    Louisiana's short prescriptive period to bring a survival action has long served as an important barrier against toxic tort claims, but the plaintiffs bar will likely rely on the recent Fifth Circuit decision in Jack v. Evonik to argue that anyone who arguably suffered injury based on exposure to some toxic substance may have a claim, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • When And How Companies Should Build An AI Strategy

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    Once a company has decided to engage with artificial intelligence, there are myriad steps that need to be taken, beginning with the creation of an AI leadership team that has deep knowledge about the company's business risks and is highly respected by senior management, say Judith Rinearson and Corey Bieber at K&L Gates.

  • 5th Circ. Ruling Shows Need For Proffer Terms Negotiation

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    The Fifth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Shah decision, holding that a defendant breached his proffer agreement, illustrates why defense attorneys should insist on negotiating the terms of such agreements with prosecutors to protect their clients at trial, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Data Furnishers Should Watch CFPB Plans For Class Actions

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    Companies should follow the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s rulemaking process as it considers allowing class actions against data brokers that provide incorrect consumer information to credit reporting agencies, a move that could rewrite the legal risks of participating in the consumer reporting ecosystem, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Justices Could Use Purdue To Resolve Related Circuit Split

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    The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear Harrington v. Purdue Pharma to determine the validity of nonconsensual third-party releases in bankruptcy, but justices should also take the opportunity to resolve a related circuit split over the constitutional authority of bankruptcy judges to issue final rulings on such releases, says Benjamin Feder at Kelley Drye.

  • 2nd Circ. OT Ruling Guides On Pay For Off-The-Clock Work

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    While the Second Circuit’s recent holding in Perry v. City of New York reiterated that the Fair Labor Standards Act obligates employers to pay overtime for off-the-clock work, it recognized circumstances, such as an employee’s failure to report, that allow an employer to disclaim the knowledge element that triggers this obligation, say Robert Whitman and Kyle Winnick at Seyfarth.

  • Tips For Student Visa Applicants Mired In Processing Delays

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    Notwithstanding procedural changes at the U.S. Department of State that provided hope for more timely and predictable visa processing outcomes, international student applications continue to risk becoming bogged down in administrative processing, but certain steps may improve the situation, say Carl Risch and Lauren Epstein at Mayer Brown.

  • Bracing For Regulatory Delays As Shutdown Looms

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    As a government shutdown looms, stakeholders should plan for regulatory delays and note that more regulations could become vulnerable to congressional disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, say Matthew Shapanka and Holly Fechner at Covington.

  • How A Gov't Shutdown Would Affect Immigration Processing

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    While a government shutdown would certainly create issues and cause delays for immigration processing, independently funded functions would continue for at least a limited time, and immigration practitioners can expect agencies to create reasonable exceptions and provide guidance for navigating affected matters once operations resume, say William Stock and Sarah Holler at Klasko Immigration Law Partners.

  • Smart Immigration Reform Can Improve Health Care Access

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    With the U.S. health care crisis expected to worsen due to ongoing nationwide physician shortages, immigration reform can provide one short-term solution to bring more trained doctors to medically underserved areas, says Sarah Peterson at Fragomen.

  • HIV Drug Case Against Gilead Threatens Medical Innovation

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    The California Court of Appeals should dismiss claims alleging that Gilead should be held liable for not bringing an HIV treatment to market sooner, or else the biopharmaceutical industry could be disincentivized from important development and innovation, says James Stansel at Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

  • Developers Are Testing Defenses In Generative AI Litigation

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    In the rapidly growing field of generative artificial intelligence law in the U.S., there are a few possible defenses that have already been effectively asserted by defendants in litigation, including lack of standing, reliance on the fair use doctrine, and the legality of so-called data scraping, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • How Calif. Ruling Extends Worker Bias Liability To 3rd Parties

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    The California Supreme Court's recent significant decision in Raines v. U.S. Healthworks Medical Group means businesses that provide employment-related services to California employers can potentially be held liable for California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act violations, says Ryan Larocca at CDF Labor.

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