More Healthcare Coverage

  • 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.

  • March 12, 2024

    4th Circ. Upholds White Exec Firing Verdict But Cuts Damages

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a victory for a white hospital executive who won a jury trial in his lawsuit alleging he was fired as part of a diversity push, but found his $300,000 punitive damages award was unwarranted because he fell short in backing his claim that his employer knowingly violated federal law.

  • March 12, 2024

    Nurses' Challenge To NJ Vaccine Mandate Moot, Judge Rules

    A New Jersey federal judge tossed a suit challenging Gov. Phil Murphy's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, ruling the case is moot because the mandate had been rescinded.

  • March 11, 2024

    Ill. Court OKs $48M Award In Brain Damage Med Mal Suit

    An Illinois state appeals court has affirmed a $48.1 million award in a suit accusing an emergency medicine physician and a hospital of improperly placing a breathing tube in a patient and causing permanent brain damage, saying certain jury instructions given by the trial court were not erroneous.

  • March 11, 2024

    3rd Circ. Finds No Reason To Disturb AbbVie Privilege Ruling

    The Third Circuit has found that AbbVie was unable to show that a Pennsylvania federal court went against precedent or made an error when ordering the drugmaker to turn over attorney communications from a "sham" patent case allegedly meant to delay AndroGel competitors.

  • March 11, 2024

    Widower Gets 3rd Trial Over Wife's Cancer Misdiagnosis

     A Pennsylvania Superior Court panel on Monday granted a third trial to a man whose wife died of cancer, saying that he'd presented enough evidence that her doctor's failure to follow up on discrepancies in her diagnosis deprived her of a chance for a longer life.

  • March 11, 2024

    Fed. Circ. OKs Boston Drug Developer's Patent Win

    A Boston-area biotech developer that has yet to bring a product to market persuaded the Federal Circuit on Monday to affirm a finding by an administrative patent board last year that stripped a smaller Chinese rival of a patent covering a way of using a type of sulfonic acid to potentially treat Alzheimer's disease.

  • March 11, 2024

    NY Man's COVID Loan 'Greed' Merits 10 Years, Feds Say

    Federal prosecutors have asked a New York judge to sentence a Long Island man to 10 years in prison for his role in a scheme to steal more than $10 million from the Paycheck Protection Program and other pandemic-era disaster relief programs.

  • March 11, 2024

    Ill Will Pushed UNC Doc's Bawdy Party Lie, NC Justices Told

    A former doctor at the University of North Carolina hospital wants the state's highest court to revive his defamation lawsuit alleging a supervisor's ill will motivated an investigation into a supposed bawdy party, telling the justices that the supervisor isn't afforded the immunity public officials receive from lawsuits.

  • March 11, 2024

    More Women Accuse Conn. Fertility Doc Of Using Own Sperm

    Two more former patients of a retired fertility doctor in Connecticut have filed accusations in state court that he secretly impregnated women with his own sperm, seeking to learn how many people knew about the formerly Yale-affiliated physician's conduct and how they managed to keep it hidden for decades.

  • March 11, 2024

    NC Judge Scraps $8M Verdict In AXA Life Insurance Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge wiped out an $8 million jury award for historian and investment firm founder Malcolm Wiener in his lawsuit accusing AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co. of sabotaging his insurability with inaccurate health information reporting, finding Wiener had "no baseline" to support the award beyond $1 in nominal damages.

  • March 11, 2024

    Disability Services Co. Agrees To $850K Wage Suit Settlement​

    A company that runs care facilities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities will pay roughly 300 California-based hourly employees about $1,700 apiece in response to claims that it underpaid workers for years, under the terms of an $850,000 settlement approved by a California federal judge.

Expert Analysis

  • ALI's Medical-Monitoring Proposal May Encourage Claims

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    If the American Law Institute's Third Restatement of Torts is updated to embrace a minority view regarding claims for medical monitoring in the absence of present bodily harm, it would raise a number of troubling issues and accelerate the already rising rate of such claims, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Preparing For FDA's Surprise Foreign Drug Inspection Regime

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    Foreign drug manufacturers face an increased likelihood of unannounced inspections under a recently expanded U.S. Food and Drug Administration pilot program, so they should take several steps to prepare — or face the risk of an import alert blocking their product from the U.S. market, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • SuperValu's Lesson: Always Be Building An FCA Defense

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    The recent U.S. v. SuperValu decision confirming that scienter is an essential element of False Claims Act liability should motivate government contractors to prepare for allegations of material misrepresentation by building a record of their honorable efforts toward regulatory compliance, say David Resnicoff and Andrew Patton at Riley Safer.

  • Next Steps For Ill. Tort Defendants After Cotton V. Coccaro

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    While an Illinois appeals court's ruling in Cotton v. Coccaro recently upheld the constitutionality of the state's law imposing prejudgment interest in personal injury and wrongful death actions, defendants can still raise constitutional challenges to the law pending Illinois Supreme Court review, says Melissa Murphy-Petros at Wilson Elser.

  • NBA Players Must Avoid Legal Fouls In CBD Deals

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    The NBA’s recently ratified collective bargaining agreement allows athletes to promote CBD brands and products, but athletes and the companies they promote must be cautious of a complex patchwork of applicable state laws and federal regulators’ approach to advertising claims, says Airina Rodrigues at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • What Purdue Ch. 11 Means For Future Of Third-Party Releases

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    The Second Circuit’s highly anticipated ruling approving Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy plan establishes stringent factors that lower courts must consider before approving nonconsensual third-party releases, but the circuit split on the matter means the issue is far from resolved, say Gregory Hesse and Kollin Bender at Hunton.

  • Preparing For Md. Adult-Use Cannabis: Operations And More

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    As a new regulatory body takes the reins before Maryland’s adult-use cannabis market launches on July 1, industry stakeholders should understand key provisions related to management agreements, secured creditors and receiverships, dispensary operations, and hemp, say Seth Gitner and Jonathan Havens at Saul Ewing.

  • Takeaways From Tribes' High Court Adoption Case Victory

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Haaland v. Brackeen, upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act, leaves the door open for individuals to bring equal protection claims, but generally bodes well for future tribal issues that reach the court, says Sarah Murray at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • High Court Underscores DOJ's Role In Policing FCA Litigation

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Polansky v. Executive Health Resources reaffirms that the government has final say in False Claims Act cases, allowing for meaningful guardrails that deter private litigators from seeking to regulate industries that Congress has delegated to expert administrative agencies, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • What The Data Says About FDA Responses To FOIA Requests

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    A statistical evaluation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's response times to Freedom of Information Act requests in the last decade shows that the FDA handles the majority of requests within a reasonable time frame, but its slowest response times are somewhat concerning, says Bradley Thompson at Epstein Becker.

  • Despite Its Plan Objections, UST Also Won In Purdue Ch. 11

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    The Second Circuit’s recent decision approving Purdue Pharma’s reorganization plan is a win even for the dissenting Office of the U.S. Trustee because the decision sets extremely stringent guidelines for future use of nonconsensual third-party releases, say Edward Neiger and Jennifer Christian at Ask.

  • What Courts Say About Workers' Comp And Medical Marijuana

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    Whether employers and insurance carriers are required or allowed to reimburse employees for out-of-pocket costs for treating work-related injuries with medical marijuana has spawned a debate, and the state courts that have addressed this matter are split on a number of issues, say Alexandra Hassell and Anthony Califano at Seyfarth.

  • Health Staffing Shortages May Draw More Antitrust Scrutiny

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    Though courts have been historically hesitant to police hospital staffing under antitrust laws, recent staffing shortages in the health care industry have created a stronger need to preserve competition in the market and will likely result in crackdown efforts from courts, say Dylan Newton and Michael Horn at Archer & Greiner.

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