Policy & Compliance
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October 28, 2025
Wash. Hospital System Can't Undo $230M Wage Suit Loss
A hospital system can't undo a $230 million judgment against it because it didn't sufficiently counter evidence that its default rounding system was unlawful and assumed caregivers wouldn't take a second meal break, a Washington state appeals panel ruled.
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October 28, 2025
Tylenol Autism Warning May Face Legal, Free Speech Hurdles
The Trump administration’s plan to add an autism warning to Tylenol's labeling could generate procedural and First Amendment challenges. Legal experts expect federal officials’ own words will be used against them.
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October 28, 2025
Minn. Hospital Noncompetes Face Test In State AG Probe
A Minnesota investigation could help answer key questions for doctors and employers about a 2023 state ban on noncompete provisions: When do changes to employment contracts amount to a new contract?
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October 28, 2025
Texas Accuses Tylenol Makers Of Hiding Autism Danger
The Texas Attorney General's Office on Tuesday sued the makers of Tylenol, alleging they hid the risk that the drug could lead to autism while marketing acetaminophen as the safest pain relief option for pregnant women and young children.
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October 27, 2025
Teva To Pay $35M In Suit Over Delayed Generic Inhalers
Teva Pharmaceuticals will pay $35 million to resolve claims from a coalition of union healthcare funds that say the company schemed to delay generic competition for its QVAR asthma inhalers, according to a motion for preliminary injunction filed in Massachusetts federal court.
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October 27, 2025
CVS Let 401(k) Get Bogged Down With High Fees, Suit Says
CVS costs workers millions in retirement savings and violated federal benefits law by failing to rein in excessive administrative fees in its $27 billion 401(k) plan, a former pharmacist said in a proposed class action filed in New York federal court.
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October 27, 2025
AbbVie Defends Challenge Of Colorado's Discount Drug Law
AbbVie defended its lawsuit challenging a Colorado law it says conflicts with federal law by forcing manufacturers to sell drugs at steep discounts to Walgreens, CVS and other pharmacy chains, telling a federal judge that the state compels the biotech company to sell more discounted drugs than federal law requires.
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October 27, 2025
Temp Agency Placed Unqualified Nursing Aides, Charges Say
A Massachusetts temporary staffing agency sent unqualified nursing aides into at least four healthcare facilities by misrepresenting their credentials, and it allowed one of them to use the identity of a former employee, the state's attorney general alleged in an indictment announced Monday.
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October 27, 2025
Judge Tosses Eli Lilly Suit Over Telehealth Weight Loss Drugs
A California federal court has dismissed a lawsuit from Eli Lilly against a telehealth company and related entities over the compounding of its popular weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, saying the pharmaceutical giant's complaint failed to plausibly allege claims under the Lanham Act and the state's false advertising and consumer protection laws.
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October 27, 2025
Ex-Magellan CEO Avoids Prison Over Faulty Lead Tests
The former CEO of Magellan Diagnostics was sentenced in Massachusetts federal court Monday to a year of home confinement for failing to alert regulators to a problem in the company's lead-testing devices that resulted in inaccurately low lead levels being detected in blood samples.
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October 24, 2025
USAA Defends Medical Reimbursement Cuts In Coverage Row
Two USAA units sought to toss two insureds' proposed class action accusing the companies of under-reimbursing their medical providers via claim handling software, telling a Washington federal court "there is no admissible evidence that plaintiffs' treatments were medically necessary and related to their auto accidents."
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October 24, 2025
Generic-Drug Makers Want Conn. Price Cap Blocked During Suit
A trade group for generic and biosimilar drugmakers is asking a Connecticut federal judge to block the state's new drug price cap during the pendency of its challenge, saying it illegally controls prices on sales made outside the state.
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October 24, 2025
Paramedics Can't Use Mich. Law To Escape Negligence Suit
Evidence suggesting paramedics may have forged a patient's signature declining hospital transport for COVID-19 care and purported statements that responders didn't bring him in because hospitals were full are enough to overcome a state law that gives immunity to emergency responders, a Michigan appellate panel has determined.
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October 23, 2025
Wash. Justices Skeptical Of Debtor's Collection Notice Stance
Washington Supreme Court justices appeared wary Thursday of second-guessing a Seattle federal judge who asked them to decide whether a hospital billing disclosure law applies to debt collectors, as the plaintiff in the underlying proposed class action pressed the court to "reformulate" the certified question.
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October 23, 2025
6th Circ. Panel Torn On Mich. 'Conversion Therapy' Ban
A Sixth Circuit panel appeared divided Thursday about whether to block enforcement of Michigan's ban on conversion therapy for minors as the U.S. Supreme Court grapples with a nearly identical Colorado law.
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October 23, 2025
Ex-Exec Accused Of Stealing IVF Co.'s Trade Secrets
The co-founder of a Garden State genetic testing company abruptly quit, deleted all the data on his company laptop — including the only copy of some materials — then took the trade secrets to help a competitor, according to a lawsuit filed in New Jersey federal court.
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October 23, 2025
Telehealth Ketamine Provider Hit With Wrongful Death Suit
Online ketamine therapy provider Mindbloom was hit with a wrongful death suit in North Carolina state court by the father of a 27-year-old man who says his medical history should have disqualified him from receiving the allegedly dangerous anesthetic.
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October 23, 2025
2nd Circ. Says NY Health System Must Face Race Bias Claims
The Second Circuit reinstated a suit Thursday from a Black registered dietitian who said her boss berated her and fired her out of prejudice, ruling the former employee put forward enough detail to keep some of her race bias claims afloat.
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October 23, 2025
Ex-DOJ, WilmerHale Attys Latest To Join Democracy Forward
Democracy Forward on Thursday announced the addition of four attorneys, including a former U.S. Department of Justice appellate leader and a longtime assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia.
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October 23, 2025
McGuireWoods Asks NC Justices To Stay Defamation Case
McGuireWoods LLP and a former partner are asking North Carolina's highest court to halt a defamation case over statements made in connection with an investigation into the former CEO of a managed care organization, saying they risk permanently losing their immunity defense if the suit is allowed to move forward.
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October 23, 2025
5th Circ. Revives Religious Bias Suit Over DOD Vaccine Policy
The Fifth Circuit breathed new life into a proposed class action claiming the U.S. Department of Defense unlawfully slow-walked civilian employees' requests for religious exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccination directive, saying the mandate getting rescinded didn't nullify the lawsuit.
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October 22, 2025
Judge Voids HHS Rule Banning Gender Identity Discrimination
A Mississippi federal judge on Wednesday struck down a Biden-era U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule that protected gender-affirming care under the Affordable Care Act, ruling that federal officials exceeded their authority by broadening the definition of sex discrimination to cover gender identity.
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October 22, 2025
State AGs Push Back In First Amendment Subpoena Fight
A coalition of state attorneys general is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to safeguard their fundamental investigative authority, warning in an amicus brief filed Tuesday that a New Jersey anti-abortion center's challenge could allow subpoenaed entities to routinely bypass state courts and tie up enforcement actions in federal litigation.
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October 22, 2025
NIH Sued For Access To Research On Trans Youth Care
A conservative government watchdog group sued the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday seeking access to data from a multiyear study on the impact of gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender youth.
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October 22, 2025
Ed Dept. Must Face States' Case Over Mental Health Grants
A Seattle federal judge declined to throw out a lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Education of illegally discontinuing grants for student mental health programming, recognizing that Washington and other states have valid claims that the move will cut them off from money meant for reducing violence in schools.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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Compliance Lessons From Warby Parker's HIPAA Fine
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' civil money penalty against Warby Parker highlights the emerging challenges that consumer-facing brands encounter when expanding into healthcare-adjacent sectors, with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance being a potential focus of regulatory attention, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.
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5th Circ. Ruling Is Latest Signal Of Shaky Qui Tam Landscape
In his recent concurring opinion in U.S. v. Peripheral Vascular Associates, a Fifth Circuit judge joined a growing list of jurists suggesting that the False Claims Act's whistleblower provisions are unconstitutional, underscoring that acceptance of qui tam relators can no longer be taken for granted, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.