Policy & Compliance
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January 13, 2026
Workers Seek $126M In Seattle Hospital System Wage Row
Seattle-area hospital system Swedish Health Services should shell out about $126 million to settle wage violations, after a state court found that the system failed to provide a second meal break on longer shifts and that its rounding practices led to unpaid wages, the workers said.
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January 13, 2026
Blue States Say HHS Conditions Funding On Anti-Trans Bias
A dozen Democratic state attorneys general sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, claiming the agency's threat to withhold billions of dollars in funding from states that don't hew to an executive order declaring that gender is immutable conflicts with antidiscrimination law.
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January 13, 2026
Gov't Didn't Allege Formula Was Contaminated, Abbott Says
Abbott Laboratories has urged a Michigan federal judge to throw out a suit brought by the federal government over the 2022 infant formula shortage, saying the government is trying to recoup a "belated windfall" and no tainted formula left its plant's doors.
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January 13, 2026
Federal Drug Pricing Policies Irk Biotech Insiders
As the federal government targets drug and other healthcare costs, biotech insiders say they're getting exasperated.
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January 13, 2026
Justices Seem Poised To Greenlight Transgender Athlete Bans
The conservative wing of the U.S. Supreme Court voiced skepticism of allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's and girls' sports Tuesday, while also signaling a willingness to keep its ruling narrowly tailored.
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January 13, 2026
Blip Or Trend? FDA Guidance Fell Off Steeply In 2025
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued far less industry guidance last year after President Donald Trump returned to office. The change has pharmaceutical attorneys bracing for more unpredictability.
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January 12, 2026
The Curious, Very Long Delay In A Pioneering Drug Prices Suit
When Merck & Co. launched a fiery challenge to Medicare's landmark drug price negotiations, it blazed a trail for many similar suits. But 31 months later, the challenge is stalled where it started as Merck begs for a ruling, other suits speed along the path it created and huge costs now seem unavoidable.
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January 12, 2026
Feds To Drop Appeal In 340B Rebate Pilot Challenge
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday suggested it will end its appeal of a First Circuit order temporarily blocking it from instituting a rebate program that would change how the agency distributes payments in the federal 340B drug discount program that provides medications at reduced costs to low-income Americans.
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January 12, 2026
ERISA Recovery Suit Against UnitedHealth Proceeds With Trims
A UnitedHealth plan participant who was injured in a car crash may pursue claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's civil enforcement provision, an Ohio federal court ruled Friday, while also allowing his wife, who was involved in a separate accident, to proceed with certain state-law claims.
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January 12, 2026
Yale Asks Judge To Rethink $32M Baby Formula Death Verdict
Yale University and the affiliated Yale New Haven Hospital have asked a Connecticut state court judge to reconsider a verdict of nearly $32 million over the death of a premature baby, contending that she failed to grasp battery and informed consent law when issuing her decision after a bench trial.
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January 12, 2026
DC Circ. Told $100K H-1B Fee Threatens Congress' Tax Power
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged the D.C. Circuit to bar the Trump administration from charging employers its new $100,000 H-1B visa fee, arguing it presents a "grave threat" to Congress' exclusive power to levy taxes.
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January 12, 2026
HHS' Pediatric Health Cuts Blocked As Likely 'Retaliatory'
A D.C. federal judge has temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from cutting nearly $12 million in pediatric health funding to the American Academy of Pediatrics, finding HHS could be retaliating for a lawsuit challenging the agency's changes to members on a federal vaccine committee.
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January 12, 2026
Justices Want SG Input On Arthritis Drug Competition Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the Trump administration to weigh in on whether state unfair competition claims should be used to block a competitor from selling compounded versions of drugs in certain states.
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January 12, 2026
No High Court Review For California Opioid 'Nuisance' Suit
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it would not weigh in on a circuit court decision that a California public nuisance lawsuit against pharmacy benefit managers over their opioid-dispensing practices belongs in state court.
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January 12, 2026
Justices Pass On Houston Hospital Workers' COVID Vax Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a challenge to a Houston hospital's win in a lawsuit brought by a group of employees who said they were unlawfully terminated after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
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January 09, 2026
Mylan, Aurobindo Must Face Generic Drug Price-Fixing Claims
A Connecticut federal judge on Friday refused to hand a quick win to Mylan Pharmaceuticals and Aurobindo Pharma USA in sprawling antitrust litigation against 26 total pharmaceutical companies, ruling that a coalition of states has enough evidence to raise a genuine dispute about whether the companies conspired to fix drug prices.
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January 09, 2026
Up Next At High Court: Pollution Lawsuits & Trans Athletes
The U.S. Supreme Court will kick off the new year by hearing disputes over the constitutionality of state laws banning transgender female athletes from female-only sports and whether state or federal courts are the proper forum for lawsuits seeking to hold major oil companies accountable for harm caused by their oil production activities along Louisiana's coast.
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January 09, 2026
Mich. Bid For Behavioral Managed Care Contracts Can't Stand
A Michigan Court of Claims judge ruled the state health department's bid for Medicaid managed care contract proposals would unlawfully interfere with the duties of local governmental bodies that provide and coordinate behavioral health care.
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January 09, 2026
Veterinary Group Says DOJ Accreditation Points Irrelevant
The American Veterinary Medical Association has told a Tennessee federal court that the government's concerns about professional groups are irrelevant to a veterinary school's antitrust case challenging the association's accreditation requirements.
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January 09, 2026
Ex-Prosecutor OK For Drug Pricing MDL, Special Master Says
Former Connecticut Assistant Attorney General Joseph Nielsen and his law firm, Lowey Dannenberg PC, should not be disqualified from representing insurers in multidistrict litigation over generic drug price-fixing because he did not have any special knowledge that the states suing drugmakers hadn't already shared with the private plaintiffs, according to a special master's report and recommendation.
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January 08, 2026
Walgreens Gets $392K Sanction Against Blue Cross Insurers
A Chicago federal judge on Thursday ordered a host of Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers to pay Walgreens more than $392,000 in attorney fees and expenses for discovery misconduct in their suit that accuses the drugstore company of fraudulently overcharging for prescription drugs.
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January 08, 2026
9th Circ. Redo Raises New Issues On Abortion Coverage Law
A Ninth Circuit panel that previously sided with Washington in a church's challenge to a state law mandating employer health coverage of abortion services voiced fresh concerns about both sides' positions when revisiting the case Thursday, roughly six months after rescinding the initial opinion without explanation.
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January 08, 2026
Ex-UnitedHealth GC Joins WilmerHale As Partner In London
After more than 25 years as a general counsel handling some of the direst corporate crises imaginable, former UnitedHealth Group general counsel Rupert Bondy is returning to London to co-lead WilmerHale's crisis management and strategic response group.
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January 07, 2026
Potomac Law Adds Former DOJ, HHS Civil Rights Atty
Potomac Law Group has hired a healthcare attorney with over 15 years working on LGBTQ+ protections and other civil rights issues at the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services.
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January 07, 2026
Covenant Health Sued Over Patient Data Security Breach
Nonprofit healthcare system Covenant Health Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action over a data breach that reportedly compromised the information of nearly half a million people.
Expert Analysis
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3 Takeaways From Recent Cyberattacks On Healthcare Cos.
For the healthcare industry, the upward trend in styles of cyberattacks, costs, and entities targeted highlights the critical importance of proactive planning to help withstand the operational, legal and reputational turmoil that can follow a data breach, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Most-Favored Nation Drug Pricing Could Shake Up US Pharma
Recent moves from the executive and legislative branches represent a serious attempt to revive and refine the first Trump administration's most-favored-nations model for drug pricing, though implementation could bring unintended consequences for pharmaceutical manufacturers and will likely draw significant legal opposition, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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How Focus On Menopause Care Is Fueling Innovation, Access
Recent legislative developments concerning the growing field of menopause care are creating opportunities for increased investment and innovation in the space as they increase access to education and coverage, say attorneys at Kirkland.
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FDA Commissioner Speech Suggests New Vision For Agency
In his first public remarks as U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Marty Makary outlined an ambitious framework for change centered around cultural restoration, scientific integrity, regulatory flexibility and selective modernization, and substantial enforcement shifts for the food and tobacco sectors, say attorneys at Arnall Golden.
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Customs Fraud Enforcement In The Age Of Tariffs
In the wake of the Trump administration’s new approach toward tariffs, two recent Justice Department developments demonstrate aggressive customs fraud enforcement, with the DOJ emphasizing competitive harm to American businesses, and signaling that investigations will likely involve both civil and criminal enforcement tools, say attorneys at Bernstein Litowitz and London & Naor.
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Legal Risks For Providers Discussing Psychedelic Therapies
The emergence of psychedelic therapies as potential treatments for mental health conditions and other ailments continues to garner significant attention, but the legal landscape surrounding discussions and referrals remains fraught with complexity, creating potential risks for healthcare providers and institutions, says Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell.
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How NY's FAIR Act Mirrors CFPB State Recommendations
New York's proposed FAIR Business Practices Act, which targets predatory lending and junk fees, reflects the Rohit Chopra-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recommendations to states in a number of ways, including by defining "abusive" conduct and adding a new right to file class actions, says Christian Hancock at Bradley Arant.
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A Breakdown Of Trump's Order On Drug Pricing
The Trump administration may attempt to effectuate through rulemaking a recently issued executive order on lowering drug prices, which would likely have an adverse effect on stakeholders and trigger litigation, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Takeaways From DOJ's 1st Wage-Fixing Jury Conviction
U.S. v. Lopez marked the U.S. Department of Justice's first labor market conviction at trial as a Nevada federal jury found a home healthcare staffing executive guilty of wage-fixing and wire fraud, signaling that improper agreements risk facing successful criminal prosecution, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
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Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.
A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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The IRS Shouldn't Go To War Over Harvard's Tax Exemption
If the Internal Revenue Service revokes Harvard's tax-exempt status for violating established public policy — a position unsupported by currently available information — the precedent set by surviving the inevitable court challenge could undercut the autonomy and distinctiveness of the charitable sector, says Johnny Rex Buckles at Houston Law Center.
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New Hospice Regulations Should Enforce Core Principles
As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General prepares to research and expand on oversight of Medicare hospice care, the OIG should keep in mind certain core principles, such as an emphasis on preventing the entry of hospices that raise red flags, says Bill Dombi at Arnall Golden.
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7 Considerations For Conducting Drug Clinical Trials Abroad
With continuing cuts to U.S. Food and Drug Administration staffing motivating some pharmaceutical companies to consider developing drugs abroad, it's important to understand the additional risks and compliance requirements associated with conducting clinical studies in other countries, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.