Policy & Compliance
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November 21, 2025
'No Evidence' New Info Backs J&J Unit's Libel Suit, Court Told
A doctor being sued by Johnson & Johnson's bankrupt talc subsidiary pushed back on the unit's bid to revive its trade libel claim over a scientific article she wrote linking asbestos in talc to mesothelioma, arguing it failed to cite any evidence that undermines the court's finding that the article was a nonactionable statement of scientific opinion.
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November 21, 2025
Rothman Orthopaedics Hit With Pa. Wiretapping Lawsuit
Rothman Orthopaedics has been hit with a proposed class action in Pennsylvania alleging the company violated state wiretapping laws by intercepting private healthcare information on its website using a third-party tracking pixel.
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November 21, 2025
Hyperbaric Chamber Death Suit Not Covered, Insurers Say
Two Nationwide insurers said they have no duty to defend or indemnify a hyperbaric oxygen therapy center or its employees in a suit over the death of a 5-year-old boy, telling a Michigan federal court that there was no bodily injury or property damage caused by an occurrence, or accident.
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November 21, 2025
1st Circ. Clears IT Co. In Suit Over Zoll Patient Data Breach
An information technology company cannot be held liable for a data breach exposing the health information of patients of a unit of medical device maker Zoll Medical Corp, the First Circuit ruled, because the two companies did not have a business relationship permitting them to hold one responsible for another's conduct.
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November 20, 2025
Pharma Cos. Seek Early Win In States' Price-Fixing Lawsuit
A collection of states failed to prove an overarching conspiracy among 25 separate pharmaceutical companies to fix the prices of generic drugs, most of them dermatology formulations, the drugmakers argued Wednesday in support of a bid for an early win on one element of dozens of antitrust claims.
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November 20, 2025
5th Circ. Seeks Interpretation Of Miss. Health Decisions Law
A Fifth Circuit panel asked the Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday to clarify an "ambiguous" state law that sets out which family members can act as surrogates and make healthcare decisions for relatives without the capacity to decide for themselves.
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November 20, 2025
Ala. County Must Face Inmate Death Claim, 11th Circ. Rules
An Eleventh Circuit panel ruled Thursday that no Alabama state law prevents a county from facing liability for an incarcerated person's death after substandard healthcare from a third-party medical provider the county hired.
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November 20, 2025
Blue Shield Of California, Magellan Sued Over 'Ghost Network'
Blue Shield of California and Magellan Health maintain a "ghost network" directory of mental health providers who don't exist or don't accept new patients, leading customers to hit a dead end or desperately resort to expensive out-of-network providers, according to a proposed class action filed Wednesday in California federal court.
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November 20, 2025
10th Circ. Weighs Colo. Law On Healthcare Sharing Plans
A Tenth Circuit panel grappled Thursday with how the court should interpret a Colorado law requiring entities not authorized to offer insurance in the state to report certain information about their healthcare sharing plans, in an appeal by a religious trade group challenging the law's constitutionality.
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November 20, 2025
Claims Firms Barred From Misleading Plaintiffs In Pharma MDL
On the same day that a Philadelphia federal judge approved $58 million in settlements as part of an ongoing generic-drug price-fixing multidistrict litigation, she also ordered several claims recovery firms to correct allegedly false and misleading ads used to attract potential clients seeking to make claims on the settlements.
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November 19, 2025
Senior Living Co. Inks $7.2M Deal To End Wash. AG's Probe
Oregon-based senior living provider Bonaventure will invest $7 million in staffing and upgrades and shell out $200,000 in resident credits to resolve allegations of substandard care at 10 Washington state facilities, under a settlement filed Wednesday.
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November 19, 2025
Is 'Red Book' Best For Drug Pricing? Pa. Justices Ask
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court seemed skeptical Wednesday that the state workers' compensation authorities were using the best guide to calculate pharmacy reimbursements for injured workers' prescription drugs, with the justices questioning the fairness of the industry's long-used "red book" method.
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November 19, 2025
11th Circ. Backs Kaiser In Air Ambulance Arbitration Dispute
The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday declined an air ambulance company's bid to scrap an arbitrator's ruling that Kaiser only owes $24,000 for an emergency helicopter flight, rejecting the emergency medical provider's arguments that the insurer committed fraud by strategically lowballing the arbitrator.
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November 19, 2025
Aetna Gets OK For $3.4M Deal In Cancer Treatment Denial Suit
A Florida federal judge has signed off on Aetna's $3.4 million settlement agreement resolving a class action that alleged the insurer unlawfully mischaracterized a proton beam cancer radiation treatment as experimental to deny dozens of claims.
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November 19, 2025
Senate GOP Resists Extending Expanded ACA Tax Premiums
Senate Finance Committee Democrats on Wednesday urged their Republican counterparts to extend the enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, which is set to expire at the end of the year, but Republicans said they were looking for other options to address rising healthcare costs.
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November 19, 2025
Conn. Dentists Pay $714K To Settle Patient Kickback Claims
Two Connecticut dentists will pay more than $714,000 to the state and federal governments to settle joint allegations that their practices submitted false government benefits claims that contained kickbacks for patient recruiters.
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November 19, 2025
Pa. Health Network's $1.15M 401(k) Suit Deal Gets Initial OK
A healthcare system Wednesday secured initial approval from a Pennsylvania federal court for a $1.15 million settlement agreement that would resolve a proposed class action alleging the company misused forfeited retirement plan funds and allowed the plan's administrative costs to soar.
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November 19, 2025
Whoop Blood Pressure Tracker Hit With False Ad Suit
A consumer on Tuesday hit health and wellness wearable tech company Whoop Inc. with a proposed class action in California federal court alleging that its boasting of the blood pressure features of its fitness tracker duped consumers and prompted a warning from health regulators.
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November 19, 2025
Hospice Co. Should Face Tobacco Fee Suit, Judge Says
A hospice and home healthcare provider shouldn't escape a proposed class action challenging a tobacco surcharge in its employee health plan, a Pennsylvania federal judge recommended, finding that allegations sufficiently backed up that a wellness program implementing the fee didn't meet all regulatory requirements.
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November 19, 2025
Doctor, Husband Admit $16M Healthcare Fraud, Tax Evasion
A physician and her husband admitted to committing more than $16 million in healthcare fraud and tax evasion as part of a scheme that injected sick patients with the wrong medications or dosages, according to their plea agreements in Alaska federal court.
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November 19, 2025
COVID-19 Testing Co. Settles Wage Suit With Testers, Drivers
A COVID-19 mobile testing company told a New York federal court that it has reached a settlement with a group of testers and drivers who claimed they were not paid full wages and overtime.
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November 19, 2025
Doc Takes Plea, Avoids Prison In Novel Opioid Death Case
A retired Massachusetts doctor pled guilty and was sentenced to five years of probation in a first-of-its-kind involuntary manslaughter case over a patient's 2016 opioid overdose death, the state attorney general's office announced.
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November 18, 2025
Health Co. Execs Convicted In $100M Adderall Sales Scheme
A San Francisco federal jury weighing a first-of-its-kind case on Tuesday convicted two digital healthcare company executives of scheming to sell Adderall through deceptive advertising, allegedly bringing in $100 million in illicit profits.
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November 18, 2025
'Surrender' Note Warrants Med Mal Retrial, Ill. Justices Hear
A below-the-knee amputee who lost his medical malpractice trial urged the Illinois Supreme Court to order a retrial in his case Tuesday, arguing a note stating a juror sided with the defense simply to end deliberations proves the verdict was not unanimous.
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November 18, 2025
Severe SC Abortion Bill Falters in Committee
A South Carolina bill that would have further criminalized abortion and subjected patients and doctors to up to 30 years in prison failed to advance out of a Senate committee on Tuesday, with antiabortion committee members raising concerns that the bill went too far.
Expert Analysis
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10 Practical Takeaways From FDA's Biopharma AI Guidance
Recent guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides much-needed insight on the usage of artificial intelligence in producing information to support regulatory decision-making regarding drug safety, with implications ranging from life cycle maintenance to AI tool acquisition, say attorneys at Covington.
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Lawmakers Shouldn't Overlook Rare Disease Therapies' Value
As the ORPHAN Cures Act is pending in Congress, policymakers assessing the value of certain drugs for price regulation should consider data beyond what is collected in clinical trials, say Alice Chen at the University of Southern California, and Molly Frean and Yao Lu at Analysis Group.
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What Trump's Order Means For The Legal Status Of IVF
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month signals the administration's potential intention to increase protections for in vitro fertilization services, though more concrete actions would be needed to resolve the current uncertainty around IVF access or bring about a binding legal change, says Jeanne Vance at Weintraub Tobin.
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Mitigating Tariff Risks For Healthcare In US And Canada
Healthcare stakeholders should take steps to evaluate the impact of cross-border tariffs, as the historically strong ties between Canada and the U.S. demonstrate the potential for real disruption and harm to the healthcare industry in both countries, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit
The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework
Attorneys at Hooper Lundy discuss a number of new California laws that raise pressing issues for independent physicians and small practice groups, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to wage standards for healthcare employees.
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Anticipating Calif. Oversight Of PE Participation In Healthcare
A new bill recently introduced in the California Senate revives last year's attempt to increase oversight of healthcare transactions involving private equity groups and hedge funds, meaning that attorneys may soon need to assess the compliance status of existing management relationships and consider modifying contract terms, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.
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Considering The Future Of AI Regulation On Health Sector
As Texas looks to become the next state to pass a comprehensive law regulating artificial intelligence, the healthcare industry should consider how AI regulation will continue to evolve in the U.S. and how industry members can keep up with compliance considerations, say attorneys at Kirkland & Ellis.
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What To Expect From 'Make America Healthy Again' Actions
The Make America Healthy Again Commission recently established by President Donald Trump and chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will potentially bring energy and attention to important public health topics, and stakeholders should be aware of pathways for sharing their input and proactively informing proceedings, says Nicholas Manetto at Faegre Drinker.
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How Citizen Petitions Have Affected Drug Competition
In light of recent citizen petitions and proposed legislation regulating such petitions, Omar Robles at Managing Health analyzes the statistics of the extent to which citizen petitions have been filed, and to what extent they have delayed competition in prescription pharmaceuticals.
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Drug Kickback Ruling Will Make FCA Liability Harder To Prove
The First Circuit's ruling in U.S. v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, requiring the government to prove but-for causation to establish False Claims Act liability based on violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, raises the bar for FCA enforcement and deepens a circuit split that the U.S. Supreme Court may need to resolve, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
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Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments
A law recently passed in Massachusetts amends the commonwealth's False Claims Act by dramatically expanding potential liability for private equity firms and investors, underscoring the importance of robust diligence and risk assessments for private equity firms conducting transactions in the commonwealth, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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What Trump Actions Mean For Federal Research Funding
New guidance from the National Institutes of Health represents a massive policy shift regarding federal funding for researchers at institutions of higher education, contributing to a perfect storm of significant resource shortfalls in upcoming years, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.