Charter Can't Escape Ex-Workers' 401(k) Forfeiture Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

A proposed class action against Charter Communications Inc. alleging the company misspent forfeitures from an employee 401(k) plan can partly move ahead, a Missouri federal judge said, holding that retirement plan participants plausibly alleged the company breached its fiduciary duties in violation of federal benefits law.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Express Scripts Accused Of Shorting Independent Pharmacies

By Rae Ann Varona

A dozen independent Arkansas pharmacies on Tuesday hauled Express Scripts into Missouri state court, accusing the pharmacy benefit management giant of continuously shorting them on prescription reimbursements despite Arkansas' efforts to combat underpayments.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Burger King Owner Inks $18M Deal In Suit Over $1B Buyout

By Sydney Price

Burger King and Popeyes owner Restaurant Brands International Inc. has reached an $18.2 million deal with shareholders who say they were "materially uninformed" about the true value of the company's 2024 $1 billion buyout of fast food franchisee Carrols Restaurant Group Inc.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

AIG Can Depose Former Texas Fraud Chief In Conduent Trial

By Hope Patti

AIG can depose the former chief of the Civil Medicaid Fraud Division of the Texas Attorney General's Office as part of a trial to determine if the $236 million Medicaid settlement between the office and Conduent State Healthcare LLC was the result of fraud, a Delaware state court ruled.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dems Block Crypto Bill Over Ethics Concerns

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Tuesday failed to clear a procedural hurdle for the Clarity Act, which was primed to be the first comprehensive federal regulatory framework for digital asset markets, as Democrats said the ethics guardrails were not strong enough.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Dem Rep. Gets Time Served In Benefits Fraud Scheme

By David Aaro

Former Georgia state Rep. Dexter Sharper has been sentenced to time served by a federal judge who also ordered him to pay back thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits he lied to collect during the coronavirus pandemic.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mich. AG Says PBMs Put Opioid Profits Before Patient Safety

By Susan Smiley

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has asked a federal court not to dismiss the state's lawsuit accusing pharmacy benefit managers including Express Scripts and Optum of abetting the opioid epidemic, arguing the PBMs are not passive administrators, but profit-driven architects of the crisis.

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ogletree Continues West Coast Hires With Jackson Lewis Atty

By Bonnie Eslinger

Labor and employment law firm Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC has landed a seasoned litigator from Jackson Lewis P.C. with extensive experience in ERISA and employment law matters, the firm announced Monday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

White & Case Adds Sullivan & Cromwell Employment, M&A Pro

By Andrea Keckley

White & Case LLP announced Monday that it has added a longtime Sullivan & Cromwell LLP attorney to its New York office, touting the expertise she brings to its transactional and employment teams.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CMS Rule, DOJ Probes Deepen Gender Care Compliance Risk

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' final rule restricting Medicaid funding for hospitals that provide gender-affirming care is likely to face immediate litigation, but the CMS rulemaking is already working alongside U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement campaign to create operational risk for providers, say attorneys at Arnall Golden.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Burford Exec, Holland & Knight Adviser Open AI-Native Firm

By Andrea Keckley

Two veterans of the legal industry announced on Wednesday that they have teamed up to launch FairPlay Law, an AI-native firm based in Manhattan and focused on representing employees.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Michael Best Combines With NY-Based Kane Kessler

By Kevin Penton

Michael Best & Friedrich LLP announced Wednesday that it is combining with New York-based firm Kane Kessler PC, adding 36 attorneys and a Big Apple presence to a firm that ranked 143rd on Law360's list of the nation's largest law firms.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Protesters Say Feds' Fight Shows Need For Misconduct Probe

By Lauraann Wood

The U.S. government's opposition to a special investigation of prosecutorial misconduct that "poisoned" a now-dismissed criminal conspiracy case suggests Chicago prosecutors are still shielding critical details regarding the extent of official communications preceding the prosecution, underscoring the probe's necessity, protesters argued Tuesday.

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Apple Backs Its $132K Fee Ask Over 'Bad Faith' Subpoenas

By Bonnie Eslinger

Apple has urged a California federal magistrate judge to grant its $132,700 attorney fee request as a sanction against plaintiff consumers' lead lawyer in antitrust litigation claiming Google muscles out rival search engines, but said Apple's counsel doesn't want to disclose their "highly and competitively sensitive" negotiated legal rates.

Statement attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Newman Saga Prompts Bill To Limit Judicial Suspensions

By Courtney Bublé

The long-running saga over Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's fitness to remain on the court has exposed "major flaws" in the judicial accountability system, according to a Republican member of the House who introduced a bill Wednesday to reform it.

Bill attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Senate Panel Weighs 6 Trump Judicial Picks From Red States

By Courtney Bublé

Six nominees for U.S. district judge appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for their nomination hearing.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »