The full Fifth Circuit partially unraveled federal regulations that implemented an arbitration system between insurers and out-of-network providers that Congress established in a 2020 law called the No Surprises Act, holding aspects of how the rules calculated payment amounts for disputed claims were unlawful.
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TOP NEWS

Full 5th Circ. Invalidates Part Of No Surprises Act Rules

By Kellie Mejdrich

The full Fifth Circuit partially unraveled federal regulations that implemented an arbitration system between insurers and out-of-network providers that Congress established in a 2020 law called the No Surprises Act, holding aspects of how the rules calculated payment amounts for disputed claims were unlawful.

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Brief

DC Physician Group Settles ERISA Plan Mismanagement Suit

By Grace Elletson

A George Washington University-affiliated physician group has agreed to settle a suit claiming it allowed its $345 million retirement plan to be bogged down by underperforming and pricey investment funds, according to a filing Tuesday in D.C. federal court.

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9th Circ. Says Aetna Must Face Benefit Misrepresentation Suit

By Grace Elletson

The Ninth Circuit revived allegations that Aetna misrepresented how much it would pay toward a patient's $150,000 surgery, finding that federal benefits law didn't preempt a claim brought under state law because the dispute centered on the payment commitments rather than the health plan itself.

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POLICY & REGULATION

Brief

DOL Association Health Plan Regs Near Finish Line

By Patrick Hoff

The U.S. Department of Labor is a step closer to expanding the definition of "employer" under federal benefits law and allowing businesses to band together to offer health plans that skirt certain Affordable Care Act requirements, after proposed regulations were sent to the White House for review.

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CMS Ends Medicaid Funds For Youth Transgender Care

By Mark Payne

Medicaid will no longer cover the cost of some gender-affirming care for minors, including gender reassignment surgery and hormone treatments, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced after issuing a final rule set to take effect this year. 

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LITIGATION

Auto Supplier Fired Worker Over FMLA Leave, Suit Says

By Benjamin Morse

An international automotive supplier fired a lab technician for taking leave to care for her mother and shorted hourly workers for off-the-clock work, according to a proposed collective action filed in Michigan federal court.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Anti-DEI Group Asks FTC To Probe Law Fellowship Program

By Dorothy Atkins

An advocacy organization against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives filed an antitrust complaint with the Federal Trade Commission Wednesday, accusing Sponsors for Educational Opportunity of engaging in anticompetitive practices by allegedly colluding on DEI metrics and falsely advertising its program.

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Baker Botts Atty Cleared Of Defamation In Inventor's Suit

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida federal judge on Thursday tossed a defamation claim against a Baker Botts LLP patent attorney after agreeing with a magistrate judge's conclusion that an inventor had not shown that the lawyer's comments to a reporter were defamatory.

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NYC Bar Committee Calls For Nationwide AI Rules Framework

By Andrea Keckley

A New York City Bar Association committee concluded in a policy paper published Wednesday that artificial intelligence tools "may assist legal work but cannot substitute for professional legal judgment," calling for a national framework to be built into the Model Rules of Professional Conduct governing its use.

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Trump Picks Ex-Arkansas SG, Walmart Lawyer For 8th Circ.

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump has announced that he's looking to elevate Judge Lee Rudofsky of the Eastern District of Arkansas to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

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State Farm Attys Admit Filing Motions Full Of AI Hallucinations

By Jonathan Capriel

A law firm representing State Farm has admitted that its pretrial motions contained citations to nonexistent cases and legal quotes, errors that were seemingly "hallucinations" generated by AI software designed for lawyers and caught by the plaintiff's attorneys as they prepared for trial in a California state court case about fire damage coverage.

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Brief

DOJ Fraud Division To Reach 500 Staffers This Month

By Courtney Bublé

By the end of the month, there will be about 500 attorneys and staff in the U.S. Department of Justice's new fraud division, with more to come as time goes on.

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JP Ward Attorney Exodus Delays Pa. Labor Trafficking Suit

By Matthew Santoni

A "staffing disruption" at the Pittsburgh law firm J.P. Ward & Associates led the firm to request a stay of a labor-trafficking case against hotels in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, after the firm was reduced to one attorney and two staff members, according to court filings.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Alston & Bird

Avyno Law

Baker Botts

Comber Miller

Cooley LLP

Covington & Burling

Cravath Swaine

Cummins & White

DLA Piper

Debevoise & Plimpton

Foley Hoag

J.P. Ward & Associates

Jones Day

Kirkland & Ellis

Morgan Lewis

Musick Peeler

Patterson Belknap

Polsinelli PC

Proskauer Rose

Quinn Emanuel

SML Avvocati

Sidley Austin

Susman Godfrey

Wachtell Lipton

White & Case

Williams & Connolly

WilmerHale

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Aetna Inc.

Affordable Care LLC

Air Methods Corp.

Allegheny Health Network

FTI Consulting Inc.

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders

George Washington University

LinkedIn Corp.

New York City Bar Association

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Inc.

Starbucks Corp.

Texas Medical Association

The Cigna Group

WSP Global Inc.

WSP Holdings Ltd.

Walmart Inc.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Employee Benefits Security Administration

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Federal Trade Commission

Los Angeles Superior Court

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

U.S. Senate

US Office of Management and Budget