HHS Can't Block Trans Care Under Kennedy Edict, Court Says

By Ben Adlin

A coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia prevailed on Thursday in their challenge to a Trump administration move to cut access to gender-affirming care for minors when an Oregon federal judge agreed to void a policy statement from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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Pharma Group Can't Halt Colo. Law Over Drug Discount Rules

By Gianna Ferrarin

A Colorado federal judge denied a bid by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America seeking to halt enforcement of a state law guarding providers' ability to contract with pharmacies to distribute discounted drugs under the federal 340B program.

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4th Circ. Leery Of W.Va. Opioid Towns' Abatement Arguments

By Abigail Harrison

During a heated hourlong oral argument Thursday, two Fourth Circuit judges interrogated an attorney for West Virginia municipalities stricken by the opioid crisis about whether the public nuisance of overly available drugs had already been abated, leaving only redress of resulting harms.

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Fla. Court Won't Pause Restoration Of Medicaid Benefits

By David Steele

A Florida federal court has declined to pause an injunction ordering the state to restore family Medicaid to more than a million low-income enrollees, but extended deadlines to reinstate benefits and to send adequate termination notices. 

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11th Circ. Partially Reopens Aetna Twin Birth Coverage Fight

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday undid Aetna's escape from a worker's coverage dispute over an extended hospital stay for her newborn twins, agreeing with the lower court that allegations failed to state a claim for violating federal benefits law but holding that an amended complaint should have been allowed.

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Maya Kowalski Says Atty Made Her 'Uncomfortable'

By Carolina Bolado

The attorney who persuaded a jury to award $261 million to Netflix documentary subject Maya Kowalski also provided unsolicited dating and sex advice to his 18-year-old client and arranged an advance funding loan for the Kowalski family in violation of Florida Bar rules, according to a statement Kowalski filed.

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Legislative Update: Cannabis And Psychedelics Bill Roundup

By Sam Reisman

Virginia lawmakers last week gave final approval to legislation that would tax and regulate the sale of adult-use cannabis, Georgia legislators passed a dramatic expansion of the state's medical cannabis program, and Iowa lawmakers approved a bill to designate kratom as a Schedule I substance. Here are the major moves in cannabis and psychedelics legislation from the past week.

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Calif. Families Sue Rady Health Over Move To End Trans Care

By Dan McKay

Four families have asked a state judge to prevent California's largest pediatric health system from cutting off gender-affirming care for minors, alleging the move would violate state antidiscrimination laws and leave them scrambling to find new providers, some more than 100 miles away.

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CVS, Caremark Pocket Money Meant For Rebates, Suit Claims

By Emily Brill

CVS charges drug manufacturers "exorbitant" fees in exchange for pushing their products, then pockets the money instead of funneling it toward customer rebates as it promises, a federal lawsuit alleges, accusing the company of collecting billions of dollars at customers' expense and violating the anti-racketeering statute.

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Detroit Clinic Zones Impede Free Speech, Protesters Say

By Melanie Dorsey

Anti-abortion advocates sued the city of Detroit, claiming an ordinance creating speech-restriction zones around healthcare facilities unlawfully blocks peaceful counseling outside an abortion clinic on the city's west side.

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TriZetto Wants To Expand IP Claims Against Infosys

By Elliot Weld

Cognizant TriZetto Software Group has asked a Texas federal judge to allow it to amend its trade secret suit against Infosys Ltd., saying a recent discovery has revealed that Infosys' alleged misconduct "goes much deeper."

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$30K Wage Settlement Too Vague To Approve, Judge Says

By Emily Brill

An Ohio federal judge rejected a proposed $30,000 settlement to a wage and hour suit against a group of home care staffing agencies Thursday, saying the settlement paperwork isn't clear enough to determine whether the deal is fair.

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Ohio Home Health Co. Settles OT Suit For $975K

By Benjamin Morse

A Columbus-area home health services company will pay $975,000 to end a lawsuit accusing it of misclassifying its program managers as exempt from overtime, according to an Ohio federal court filing.

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Drug Co. Can't Claim Most Docs Contain Trade Secrets At Trial

By Elliot Weld

A Manhattan federal judge ruled Thursday that a pharmaceutical consulting company won't be allowed to argue to a jury that thousands of documents it did not enter into evidence contain trade secrets amid an ongoing misappropriation trial.

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Goodwin, S&C Steer Up To $785M Sale Of ADHD Drug

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Goodwin Procter LLP-advised Collegium Pharmaceutical Inc. unveiled plans Thursday to acquire attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Azstarys from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP-led Corium Therapeutics Holdings LLC for up to $785 million.

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Zynex Gets OK For Ch. 11 Plan Reducing Debt By $50M

By Ben Zigterman

Zynex Inc., a pain management medical device maker, received confirmation Thursday of its Chapter 11 plan, which reduces its debt by about $50 million and turns over the company to its creditors.

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Scrutiny Of Nursing Home Practices Marks Inflection Point

Recent congressional inquiries into UnitedHealth Group's Medicare Advantage-linked nursing home practices raise questions about whether financial metrics are allowed to influence decisions governed by the standard of care, and could implicate duties imposed by federal regulations, state negligence laws and elder abuse statutes, says Lindsey Gale at Rafferty Domnick.

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Series

Coaching Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Coaching youth soccer for my 7-year-old son's team has sharpened how I communicate with clients, prepare witnesses, work within teams and think about leadership, making me a more thoughtful and effective lawyer in many ways, says Joshua Holt at Smith Currie.

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HSF Kramer Hires Axinn Antitrust Lawyer In DC

By Jack Rodgers

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP has hired a former Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP partner, who represented Google in an antitrust investigation into its advertising technology, and who has represented other global companies in competition and related matters.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen an ex-professional footballer revive a dispute with Charles Russell Speechlys, Virgin Media face a group data protection claim after hundreds of thousands of customers' personal details were exposed online for months, and Mishcon de Reya sued by a real estate private equity firm founded by a former Morgan Stanley executive.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

Major shareholder groups sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, claiming the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act. In the meantime, some attorneys think the sanctions that judges are issuing to lawyers over AI-generated errors won't be enough to stop the problem. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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DOJ Rebuked Over Lack Of Candor For 'Imperious Client'

By Jack Karp

A Florida federal judge has rebuked government attorneys for failing to be up-front about legal authority that contradicts their position in a habeas case, warning them not to let their "imperious client" get between them and their ethical obligations.

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Beasley Allen Can't Halt DQ Ruling In J&J Talc Litigation

By George Woolston

A New Jersey state appeals court has refused to pause its decision disqualifying the Beasley Allen Law Firm from representing plaintiffs in multicounty litigation over Johnson & Johnson's talc-based baby powder, according to a court order.

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Where Calif. State Courts Landed On Generative AI Use Rules

By Emily Sawicki

The majority of California's 58 superior courts — together making up the country's largest trial court system — have decided to greenlight the use of generative artificial intelligence in their work this year, a Law360 investigation found.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Baron & Budd PC, Walden Macht Haran & Williams LLP and Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Ninth Circuit revived a major hospital chain's False Claims Act suit accusing large pharmaceutical companies of massive overcharges in a prominent drug discount program.

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Top SEC Enforcer Signals Continuity After Ryan Departure

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's acting enforcement chief said Friday that the agency will continue to "focus on quality over quantity" when it comes to the cases it brings, projecting continuity with his predecessor's approach after her abrupt departure from the agency earlier this week.

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Roundup

Balancing The Scales: $3M Jury Verdict, GEO Appeal Denial

By Orlando Lorenzo

A Philadelphia federal judge rejected bids to disturb a $3 million jury award and impose sanctions on plaintiff's counsel arising from proceedings he described as "near-daily Festivus celebrations, where everyone got to air their grievances 'for the sake of the record'" and a Detroit man saw his murder conviction vacated after 27 years due to the case's reliance on a coerced confession and a lack of physical evidence, among other access to justice stories you may have missed.

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Bondi Keeps Ousted Wisconsin US Atty With New Title

By Lauren Berg

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi swapped Brad D. Schimel's title from interim U.S. attorney to first assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in order to keep him in charge of the office after his tenure expired earlier this week.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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