Policy & Compliance

  • December 12, 2025

    Sherwin-Williams Flicks Tobacco Fee Suit To Arbitration

    An Ohio federal judge refused Friday to toss a proposed class action from two Sherwin-Williams ex-workers who alleged an employee health plan tobacco surcharge violated nondiscrimination provisions in federal benefits law, finding while one claim could proceed in court, the dispute should first head to arbitration.

  • December 12, 2025

    11th Circ. Scrutinizes Qui Tam History In FCA Challenge

    The Eleventh Circuit Friday weighed both the history of whistleblower laws going back to the nation's founding and recent U.S. Supreme Court commentary on qui tam litigation in a closely watched challenge to the False Claims Act.

  • December 11, 2025

    Trial Record Backs Gender-Affirming Care, Ohio Justices Told

    A group of transgender youths and their families urged Ohio's highest court to affirm their win overturning state restrictions on gender-affirming care, arguing undisputed evidence at trial backed their arguments on the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.

  • December 11, 2025

    6th Circ. Panel Shows No Leanings On PBM Jurisdiction Fight

    A Sixth Circuit appeals panel gave few hints Thursday on whether it would send back to state court a lawsuit from Ohio alleging that pharmacy benefit managers were driving up prescription prices through rebate schemes. 

  • December 10, 2025

    Florida, Texas Sue FDA Over Abortion Drug Approval

    The states of Florida and Texas again took aim at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of abortion medication mifepristone, saying in a Tuesday suit that the agency flouted federal law in greenlighting the drug and signing off on several generic versions.

  • December 10, 2025

    Teva Pulls 200 Patents From Orange Book Amid FTC Probe

    The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday an investigation it conducted into Teva Pharmaceuticals prompted the company to remove over 200 patents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book.

  • December 10, 2025

    Courts Let Military Ban Trans, HIV-Positive Troops For Now

    Two federal appellate courts have cleared the federal government to enforce a pair of controversial policies restricting transgender and HIV-positive people from serving in the military, with each lifting trial court blockades on the rules while litigation challenging them plays out.

  • December 10, 2025

    Nursing Home Owners Defrauded Medicaid For Years, NJ Says

    The owners of two New Jersey nursing homes diverted nearly $100 million in Medicaid funds to themselves while intentionally understaffing the facilities and neglecting the residents, according to a state comptroller report released Wednesday that called for more scrutiny of for-profit residential care facility operators.

  • December 10, 2025

    Med Delivery Co. Fired Workers For Pay Complaints, Suit Says

    A pharmaceutical delivery company misclassified drivers as independent contractors even though it controlled nearly every aspect of their work and fired 12 named drivers at once for speaking up about it, according to a proposed class action filed in Kentucky federal court.

  • December 10, 2025

    Feds Seek 10 Years For Ex-Harvard Morgue Manager

    Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania have recommended that the court impose a 10-year prison sentence for former Harvard Medical School morgue manager Cedric Lodge following his admission to stealing and selling body parts from cadavers donated to the school for scientific research.

  • December 09, 2025

    Fla. AG Targets Pediatric Org. In Gender-Affirming Care Suit

    The office of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued the American Academy for Pediatrics along with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society in Florida state court Tuesday for allegedly misleading the public about the safety of gender-affirming care for minors.

  • December 09, 2025

    Meet The Attys For Humana In Price-Fixing MDL Set For Trial

    Attorneys from Lowey Dannenberg PC and Schneider Wallace Cottrell Kim LLP are teaming up to represent insurance giant Humana in the first bellwether case set for trial in multidistrict litigation accusing pharmaceutical companies of fixing generic drug prices.

  • December 09, 2025

    Lax Enforcement Spurs Suits Over Insurers' 'Ghost' Networks

    More patients are alleging that what are known as insurers' ghost networks — directories full of unreachable providers — deny them access to mental health care. Their counsel say scarce enforcement is just one of the problems.

  • December 09, 2025

    Vax Critic Atty Wants To 'Depoliticize' Shots

    Attorney Aaron Siri, who specializes in vaccine cases and has close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sparked concerns after he spoke at a highly publicized Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine meeting. Siri told Law360 he doesn’t see a conflict between his litigation work and his advocacy.

  • December 09, 2025

    Conn. Seems Open To Limits On Drug Price Cap Enforcement

    The state of Connecticut suggested Tuesday that drug sales to the state were not the same as drug sales "in this state" as defined by state law, a stance drug manufacturers promised to leverage in their efforts to block an impending drug price cap.

  • December 09, 2025

    4th Circ. Probes Limit Of HIV-Positive Military Hopefuls' Suit

    A federal appellate judge on Tuesday repeatedly pressed an attorney representing people who were denied admission to the U.S. military due to an HIV diagnosis, asking him to explain why his argument wouldn't force the U.S. Department of Defense to accept anyone with a medically controlled, chronic condition.

  • December 09, 2025

    FCA Bar Eager To Scrutinize 11th Circ. Qui Tam Debate

    An Eleventh Circuit panel this week will help decide the fate of the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. The FCA bar is watching closely a case with potentially massive ramifications for federal fraud enforcement.

  • December 09, 2025

    Mistrial Declared In Fla. Opioid Case Against Pharmacies

    A Florida state judge declared a mistrial following a hung jury after two weeks of deliberations in a lawsuit brought by hospitals alleging that Walmart, Walgreens and CVS pharmacies negligently doled out painkillers and contributed to the opioid crisis. 

  • December 09, 2025

    Hagens Berman's Novel DOJ Referral May Have Chilling Effect

    A Pennsylvania federal judge's unusual decision to refer prominent plaintiffs firm Hagens Berman LLP to the U.S. Department of Justice for possible criminal investigation over its pursuit of claims related to morning sickness drug thalidomide could have a chilling effect on lawyers' advocacy, law professors and attorneys said.

  • December 09, 2025

    US Asks 5th Circ. To Revive ACA Employer Tax Penalties

    The IRS properly penalized a janitorial services company for failing to provide employees with healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. government said, urging the Fifth Circuit to reverse a Texas federal court ruling that voided regulations promulgating the penalties.

  • December 09, 2025

    Insurer Says Whistleblower Stole Docs In Medicare FCA Case

    An insurer accused of running a kickback scheme to steer customers to its Medicare Advantage plan is seeking to question the whistleblower that sparked the False Claims Act suit, telling a Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday that he snapped unauthorized photos of company files.

  • December 09, 2025

    Gender Care Ban Sets Catholic Hospitals On Uncharted Path

    An overwhelming majority of U.S. bishops recently backed new directives for Catholic health systems to prohibit gender transition treatments. Some experts say the move could make it more difficult for Catholic hospitals to navigate state laws protecting gender-affirming care.

  • December 08, 2025

    Confluence Health Refunds $1.8M Following Wash. AG's Probe

    Central Washington healthcare operator Confluence Health has refunded more than $1.8 million to low-income patients who paid for hospital care despite being eligible for financial assistance under the state's Charity Care Act, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown announced Monday.

  • December 08, 2025

    1st Circ. Keeps Planned Parenthood Funding Ban In Place

    The First Circuit on Monday issued an administrative stay that temporarily keeps in place a ban on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, pausing a lower court's ruling.

  • December 08, 2025

    Smith & Nephew Settles 401(k) Fee Dispute

    A Massachusetts federal judge stayed a proposed federal benefits class action Monday against Smith & Nephew that accused the medical device company of imposing excessive fees on an employee 401(k) plan, after the parties told the court they had agreed to settle their dispute.

Expert Analysis

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    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.

  • 6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework

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    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.

  • Anticipating Calif. Oversight Of PE Participation In Healthcare

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    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.

  • Considering The Future Of AI Regulation On Health Sector

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    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.

  • What To Expect From 'Make America Healthy Again' Actions

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    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.

  • How Citizen Petitions Have Affected Drug Competition

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    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.

  • Drug Kickback Ruling Will Make FCA Liability Harder To Prove

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    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.

  • Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments

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    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.

  • What Trump Actions Mean For Federal Research Funding

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    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.

  • A Look At Healthcare Transaction Oversight In Oregon

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    Understanding Oregon's enforcement authority and its impact on proposed transactions last year provides a road map to the state's plans to strengthen its processes this year, though enforcement could be challenged by ongoing litigation, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • High Court Must Acknowledge US History Of Anti-Trans Laws

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    Despite Justice Amy Coney Barrett's claim to the contrary during oral arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti, U.S. governments at every level have systematically discriminated against transgender people, and the U.S. Supreme Court must consider this historical context in upcoming cases about transgender issues, says Paisley Currah at the City University of New York.

  • The Fate Of Biden-Era Clinical Study Guidance Under Trump

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    Draft guidance about the study of sex and gender differences in medical product development issued by the outgoing Biden administration currently faces significant uncertainty and litigation potential due to the Trump administration's executive orders and other actions, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.