Policy & Compliance

  • May 08, 2026

    Judge Probes Cert. For Diverse Worker Class In No-Poach Suit

    An Illinois federal judge considering whether to certify a class of former health care employees claiming their wages were suppressed by alleged no-poach agreements between DaVita, UnitedHealth Group's Surgical Care Affiliates and Tenet Healthcare Corp. unit United Surgical Partners International questioned Friday if the group of senior-level workers was too diverse for class treatment.

  • May 08, 2026

    Ohio Health System Looks To Toss DOJ Antitrust Case

    OhioHealth told a federal court Friday the antitrust case from the U.S. Department of Justice and state enforcers over the hospital system's contracts with insurers would limit competition, not restore it.

  • May 08, 2026

    4th Circ. Backs Toss Of Fired Worker's Whistleblower Suit

    The Fourth Circuit upheld the dismissal Friday of a home health salesperson's suit claiming he was fired out of retaliation for complaining about sexual comments made at a company picnic, ruling the lower court used the correct legal standard to throw out his case.

  • May 08, 2026

    Using FCA To Go After DEI Poses Legal Hurdles For DOJ

    The Trump administration's use of the False Claims Act to go after DEI policies diverges from past administrations' use of the civil fraud statute to tackle policy initiatives in key ways that may pose legal challenges to enforcement.

  • May 07, 2026

    NC Panel Rules Prior Verdict Bars Hospital Negligence Case

    A divided North Carolina state appeals court panel pulled the plug on a couple's negligence case against a local hospital, finding their suit is bound by a verdict in a separate, near-identical lawsuit in which a jury cleared the same hospital of wrongdoing.

  • May 07, 2026

    La. Says Mailed Abortion Pills Harm State Budget, Sovereignty

    The state of Louisiana on Thursday defended its standing to challenge telehealth access to the abortion medication mifepristone, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that it has suffered financial and other injuries as mail-order pills flood the state.

  • May 07, 2026

    EEOC Suit Over Blind Worker's Firing Heads To Trial

    A Tennessee federal judge cleared for trial a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit claiming a hospital facilities management company unlawfully fired a blind worker, saying a jury should decide if the company properly evaluated the employee's ability to do his job.

  • May 07, 2026

    AstraZeneca Reps Fight To Keep Opt-Ins In Pay Bias Suit

    Female pharmaceutical sales representatives in an AstraZeneca equal pay suit have urged an Illinois federal court to reject the company's bid to dismiss two dozen opt-in plaintiffs for refusing discovery, saying the women feared retaliation and career consequences.

  • May 07, 2026

    Hospital Suspects DOJ Is Forum Shopping For Trans Records

    Children's Hospital of Philadelphia asked a federal judge this week to reassert control over the U.S. Department of Justice's demand for records of gender-affirming care, fearing the government's withdrawal of its local appeal and a case filed against another hospital in Texas portended "forum shopping" for a friendlier court.

  • May 07, 2026

    Harvard Pilgrim Sued Over 'Ghost' Mental Health Network

    Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and its parent company have lured subscribers with a "ghost network" of mental health providers who are frequently out of network, don't accept the insurance or are not taking new patients, according to a proposed class action filed in Massachusetts state court.

  • May 06, 2026

    Calif. Justices Seem Divided On Gilead HIV Negligence Claim

    The California Supreme Court appeared split Wednesday over whether Gilead should face a negligence claim for allegedly withholding a safer HIV drug from the market to maximize profits from an older drug with more harmful side effects. 

  • May 06, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Hospital Workers' Vaccine Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit refused Wednesday to reopen a religious bias lawsuit accusing a Washington hospital of unlawfully denying employees' requests to avoid a COVID-19 vaccination mandate, finding that the medical center demonstrated that exemptions would've been too burdensome under a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

  • May 06, 2026

    Nursing Home Co. Can't Stave Off EEOC Harassment Trial

    A nursing facility operator can't dodge a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it fired an employee for complaining that her boss sexually harassed her, an Illinois federal judge said Wednesday, ruling a jury needs to assess whether the business acted out of retaliation.

  • May 05, 2026

    DC Circ. Judge Jabs Pharma Atty For 10 Minutes In Price Fight

    The first D.C. Circuit showdown in widespread drug pricing litigation Tuesday appeared unlikely to deliver a badly needed win to the pharmaceutical industry, as a top manufacturer's attorney faced a cool reception generally and an extended barrage of skepticism from one judge.

  • May 05, 2026

    Ex-CEO Gets 5 Years In Prison For $212.5M Fraud Case

    A New Jersey federal judge on Tuesday sentenced the former CEO of a now-defunct medical billing company to five years in prison, the statutory maximum penalty, for his role in a $212.5 million scheme to inflate the value of his company to defraud investors.

  • May 05, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 5 Litigation Developments From April

    The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a bakery company's bid for review of a union multiemployer pension withdrawal bill, the Fourth Circuit held a bonus plan was exempt from federal benefits law, and the Sixth Circuit ruled federal law preempted Arkansas pharmacy benefit manager laws and regulations. Here's more on those and two other major decisions from April that benefits attorneys may want to know.

  • May 05, 2026

    Wash. Panel Revives GLP-1 Health Plan Coverage Fight

    A Washington state appeals court revived a proposed class action by state employees alleging their benefit plan discriminatorily barred health coverage for GLP-1 medications treating obesity, finding a lower court should have allowed the case to proceed to discovery.

  • May 05, 2026

    Mylan Strikes $4.5M Deal With Maryland Over EpiPen Pricing

    Mylan Pharmaceuticals will pay $4.5 million to resolve allegations by the state of Maryland that Mylan acted anticompetitively when it ratcheted up costs of its portable auto-injectable EpiPen device that's used during life-threatening allergic reaction episodes, according to a recent announcement.

  • May 05, 2026

    RFK Jr. To Target 'Overmedicalization' Of Mental Health Drugs

    Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is moving to tackle the "overmedicalization" of widely used mental health drugs and create pathways to encourage doctors to taper patients off of the treatments.

  • May 05, 2026

    Calif. Justices To Weigh Gilead Negligence Claim In HIV Suit

    A case before the California Supreme Court this week involving Gilead and HIV medications may create a new standard for negligence claims when a company fails to market a better drug.

  • May 05, 2026

    Ga. Panel Weighs Evidence Rules In Parents' Bid For New Trial

    The Georgia Court of Appeals considered whether a new trial is warranted in a couple's case alleging that a doctor's negligence led to the death of their infant son nine days after birth, questioning attorneys Tuesday on the appropriate standard for what is known as "habit" testimony.

  • May 05, 2026

    Clarity or Corporate Secret? Battle Brews Over FDA Letters

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is under pressure to roll back a new transparency policy or prepare to defend it in court.

  • May 05, 2026

    Health Bills To Know This Week: Drug Pricing, AI And Abortion

    Law360 Healthcare Authority looks at a proposal to create a prescription drug affordability board in Virginia, legislation enacted in Maine establishing boundaries on the use of artificial intelligence in mental health care, and other legislative developments impacting the healthcare industry this week.

  • May 05, 2026

    Sandoz, Novartis Must Face Generics Claims From GM, Others

    A Pennsylvania federal judge largely refused to let dozens of generic-drug makers duck stand-alone price-fixing and market allocation antitrust claims from major employers like General Motors, American Airlines and Lowe's, nixing allegations against a small handful while importantly preserving them against Novartis and its former Sandoz subsidiary.

  • May 05, 2026

    Sponsor Suit Moot After Immigrant Kids Released, Feds Say

    The Trump administration asked a D.C. federal judge to dismiss a suit challenging requirements for previously approved sponsors to reapply for custody of unaccompanied immigrant children, arguing the suit's claims are either moot or unfounded.

Expert Analysis

  • A Shifting Trend In FDA Form 483 Disclosure Obligations

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    A New York federal court's Checkpoint Therapeutics decision extends a recent streak of dismissals of securities class actions alleging that pharmaceutical companies failed to disclose U.S. Food and Drug Administration Form 483 inspection reports, providing critical guidance for companies during the FDA approval process, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • The Future Of Lab-Test Regs After FDA Rescinds Rule

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently rescinded its laboratory-developed tests rule in response to a Texas federal court decision this spring, reinforcing a separation of authority between the FDA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and calling into question the FDA's role in overseeing such tests without congressional action, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Unpacking Ore. Law's Limits On PE Healthcare Investment

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    A recent Oregon law imposes significant restrictions on nonphysicians owning or controlling medical practices, but newly enacted amendments provide some additional flexibility in certain ownership arrangements without scuttling the law's intent of addressing concerns about the rise of private equity investment in healthcare, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Criminal Healthcare Fraud Takeaways From 4th Circ. Reversal

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    After the Fourth Circuit reversed a doctor’s postconviction acquittal in U.S. v. Elfenbein last month, defense attorneys should consider three strategies when handling complex criminal healthcare matters, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • AG Watch: Texas Embraces The MAHA Movement

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    Attorneys at Kelley Drye examine Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's actions related to the federal Make America Healthy Again movement, and how these actions hinge on representations or omissions by the target companies as opposed to specific analyses of the potential health risks.

  • How States Are Regulating Health Insurers' AI Usage

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    The absence of a federal artificial intelligence framework positions states as key regulators of health insurers’ AI use, making it important for payors and service providers to understand the range of state AI legislation being passed in California and elsewhere, and consider implementing an AI-focused compliance infrastructure, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • HHS Plan To Cut Immigrant Benefits Spurs Provider Questions

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    A recent notice from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identifying new federal public benefit programs for which nonqualified aliens are not eligible may have a major impact on entities that participate in these programs — but many questions remain unanswered, say attorneys at Foley.

  • Noncompete Forecast Shows Tough Weather For Employers

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    Several new state noncompete laws signal rough conditions for employers, particularly in the healthcare sector, so employers must account for employees' geographic circumstances as they cannot rely solely on choice-of-law clauses, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Previewing State Efforts To Regulate Mental Health Chatbots

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    New York, Nevada and Utah have all recently enacted laws regulating the use of artificial intelligence to deliver mental health services, offering early insights into how other states may regulate this area, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • How DOJ's New Data Security Rules Leave HIPAA In The Dust

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recently effective data security requirements carry profound implications for how healthcare providers collect, store, share and use data — and approach vendor oversight — that go far beyond the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

  • Texas Med Spas Must Prepare For 2 New State Laws

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    Two new laws in Texas — regulating elective intravenous therapy and reforming healthcare noncompetes — mark a pivotal shift in the regulatory framework for medical spas in the state, which must proactively adapt their operations and contractual practices, says Brad Cook at Munsch Hardt.

  • DOJ-HHS Collab Crystallizes Focus On Health Enforcement

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    The recently announced partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to combat False Claims Act violations, following a multiyear trend of high-dollar DOJ recoveries, signals a long-term enforcement horizon with major implications for healthcare entities and whistleblowers, say attorneys at RJO.

  • How The Healthline Privacy Settlement Redefines Ad Tech Use

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    The Healthline settlement is the first time California has drawn a clear line in the sand around how website tracking must function in practice, so if your site uses tracking technologies, especially around sensitive content like health or finance, regulators are inspecting your website's back end, not just its banner, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.