More Healthcare Coverage
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October 03, 2024
Gilead Makes Generic HIV Drug Plan, Advocates Urge Expansion
Gilead Sciences Inc. this week announced a plan to allow six drugmakers to produce generic lenacapavir to help combat the HIV pandemic in 120 lower-income countries, an initiative that won praise as a welcome step Thursday, although advocacy groups urged the company to expand the effort.
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October 02, 2024
NC's Med Mal Damages Cap Is Constitutional, Panel Told
North Carolina's cap on compensatory damages in medical negligence suits does not impede a citizen's right to a jury trial and is in line with the state's constitution, according to an attorney appointed to defend the law against a woman seeking to collect her full $7.5 million jury verdict stemming from the loss of her unborn baby.
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October 02, 2024
Doctor Cops To Dealing Ketamine That Killed Matthew Perry
A physician pled guilty in California federal court Wednesday to helping supply the ketamine that killed "Friends" star Matthew Perry, including by providing illegally obtained vials of the drug for Perry's personal assistant to administer at home.
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October 01, 2024
Premier Health Sued For Age Bias By Ex-Regional Director
Premier Healthcare and University of Louisville Health face an age discrimination suit filed Monday in North Carolina federal court by a former employee who alleges he experienced a hostile work environment and that younger colleagues subjected him to derogatory comments, including "boomer" and "dumb son of a bitch," that went unaddressed.
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October 01, 2024
Ex-CBD Exec Must Face SEC Fraud Suit Over $13M Deal
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sufficiently backed its claims that a former cannabidiol products executive misled investors, including by making false statements in press releases, a Connecticut federal judge has ruled.
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October 01, 2024
Wash. Panel Backs Workers' $3.3M Win In Meal Break Suit
A Washington appeals court refused to upend a class of workers' $3.3 million win in their lawsuit accusing a Seattle-based hospital of failing to provide them with 30-minute meal periods, saying employees in Washington state are entitled to additional pay if they're forced to work through their breaks.
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September 30, 2024
Marshall Dennehey Adds Healthcare Litigator In Scranton, Pa.
Marshall Dennehey continued to expand its healthcare services with the recent addition of a litigator to its Scranton, Pennsylvania, office who joined the firm after nearly five years with Scanlon Howley & Doherty PC.
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September 30, 2024
Macy's Can't Dodge DOL's Tobacco Surcharge Program Suit
An Ohio federal judge has denied Macy's Inc.'s bid to dismiss a health plan discrimination claim brought against it by the U.S. Department of Labor but gave the retailer a chance to try again, ruling that the parties' dispute has surely been affected by the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to ax Chevron deference.
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September 27, 2024
4th Circ. Judge Startled By 'Really Odd' $9M Wage Suit Win
A Fourth Circuit panel on Friday grappled with the degree of control nurses have over their work and if they automatically become employees by signing a noncompete, as it considered a medical staffing company's bid to overturn a $9 million misclassification suit judgment following a bench trial.
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September 26, 2024
Healthcare REIT Defeats Investor Suit For Good
An Alabama federal judge on Thursday permanently tossed an investor suit against a healthcare-focused real estate investment trust, Medical Properties Trust Inc., that alleged the trust hid the poor performance of four acute care hospitals it owns in Pennsylvania, saying the plaintiff's asserted theory in the suit "is somewhat Jekyll and Hyde."
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September 26, 2024
Split 2nd Circ. Backs 8 Years For Conn. COVID Money Scam
In a published opinion Thursday, a split panel of the Second Circuit upheld a Connecticut man's eight-year prison sentence for stealing federal COVID-19 relief funds from the city of West Haven through a conspiracy with a state representative, finding that the punishment was not "substantively unreasonable."
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September 26, 2024
Walgreens Struggles To Exit 'Non-Drowsy' Label Suit In Wash.
The Washington State Supreme Court questioned Thursday whether Walgreens could avoid state consumer protection claims over its "non-drowsy" cough medicine label by pointing to a lack of federal labeling requirements for the drug, with one justice calling the argument a non sequitur.
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September 26, 2024
Winner Of $8.6M Suit Wants Mich. Justices' Take On Cap
The estate of a patient who won an $8.6 million medical malpractice verdict earlier this year is asking a Michigan federal court to certify a question to the state's Supreme Court to determine whether a statutory cap on noneconomic damages is constitutional.
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September 26, 2024
Dallas VA Center Overpaid $3.7M For Wheelchair Services
A Texas veterans medical center will have to recover $3.7 million it overpaid a contractor for wheelchair transportation services between 2022 and 2023, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General said Wednesday.
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September 25, 2024
Feds Urge Judge Not To Ax Novel Insider Trading Conviction
Prosecutors have hit back at former Ontrak CEO Terren Peizer's bid to ax his first-of-its-kind insider trading conviction and score a new trial, telling a California federal judge that the jury had all the information it needed to find Peizer guilty in June.
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September 25, 2024
Walgreens' TM Suit Can Proceed Against Founder's Relative
Walgreen Co. can move forward with its trademark infringement suit against the great-grandson of the company's founder for operating Walgreen Health Solutions after an Illinois federal judge denied his motion to dismiss, finding the drugstore chain has shown a likelihood of confusion between the two brands.
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September 25, 2024
Ascension Must Face Additional Suit Over Vaccine Mandate
Ascension Health Alliance must face another proposed class action challenging its 2021 COVID-19 vaccination policy, an Indiana federal judge ruled Wednesday, holding that a group of workers who were suspended or fired after refusing the vaccine on religious grounds have a case against the Catholic healthcare system.
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September 25, 2024
3rd Circ. Backs Tossing MetLife Suit Over Drug Rebates
The Third Circuit upheld MetLife's defeat of a lawsuit alleging it kept drug rebate profits for itself instead of lowering workers' health benefit plan costs, saying Wednesday the workers leading the suit hadn't shown they were harmed by missing out on speculative savings.
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September 25, 2024
Ex-NBA Pro Who Admitted Benefits Fraud Can Play Overseas
A New York federal judge Wednesday gave a former Philadelphia 76ers guard, who admitted to being part of a scheme to defraud the NBA's benefits plan, permission to travel to Uruguay so he can play professionally there.
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September 25, 2024
Urology Practice Accused Of Denying Pregnant Worker Breaks
An Oklahoma urology practice forced a pregnant medical assistant to take unpaid leave after refusing to let her sit during work or take breaks to relieve swelling and pain, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged Wednesday in its second federal lawsuit under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
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September 24, 2024
Biotech RenovaCare Investors Seek OK Of $2M Deal
Biotechnology company RenovaCare Inc. has reached a $2 million deal to end a consolidated proposed class action alleging it pumped its stock prices by using a secret paid promotional campaign, the company's investors have told a New Jersey federal judge.
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September 23, 2024
Med Mal Case Is Settled After Scuttled $111M Verdict in Minn.
On the eve of a second trial, a Minnesota-based orthopedic center has settled a suit that previously ended in a $111 million verdict that was later vacated for being excessive, with federal court records indicating a deal has been reached in principle.
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September 23, 2024
Mallinckrodt Brass Can't Avoid Investor Suit Over 2nd Ch. 11
A New Jersey federal judge ruled Monday that senior leaders of drugmaker Mallinckrodt cannot escape a lawsuit brought by shareholders alleging the company tricked them into thinking it had recovered from bankruptcy and would make a $200 million payment to opioid claimants, finding the investors sufficiently pleaded securities law violations.
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September 23, 2024
SEC Scores $12M Judgment In Unregistered Dealer Case
A Minnesota federal judge has ordered financial firm Carebourn Capital LP, its founder and an affiliated company to pay more than $12 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest over U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission claims they made millions selling securities as unregistered dealers.
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September 23, 2024
Fed. Circ. OKs Novartis Loss In Eye Syringe Patent Feud
The Federal Circuit has backed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board finding that more than two dozen claims in a Novartis pre-filled eye injection syringe patent weren't patentable.
Expert Analysis
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Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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A Look At Acquisition Trends For Radiopharmaceuticals
As radiopharmaceutical drugs are increasingly used for the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases, interest from Big Pharma entities is following suit, despite some questions around the drugs' capacity to expand beyond their limited niche, says Adrian Toutoungi at Taylor Wessing.
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States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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How High Court Approached Time Limit On Reg Challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board effectively gives new entities their own personal statute of limitations to challenge rules and regulations, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurrence may portend the court's view that those entities do not need to be directly regulated, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.
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How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts
As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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Calif. Ruling Heightens Medical Product Maker Liability
The California Supreme Court's decision in Himes v. Somatics last month articulates a new causation standard for medical product manufacturer liability that may lead to stronger product disclosures nationwide and greater friction between manufacturers and physicians, say attorneys at Cooley.
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Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron
The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.
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3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron
The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.
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Del. Bankruptcy Ruling Will Give D&O Insureds Nightmares
In Henrich v. XL Specialty Insurance, the Delaware Bankruptcy Court recently found that a never-served qui tam claim had been "brought" before a D&O policy's retroactive date, thereby eliminating coverage, and creating a nightmare scenario for directors and officers policyholders facing whistleblower claims, says David Klein at Pillsbury.
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After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1
The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.