Justices Reject Colorado's LGBTQ+ 'Conversion' Ban

By Dan McKay

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a Colorado ban on therapy intended to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity amounts to viewpoint discrimination against a Christian therapist, a finding that split the court's liberal wing and crossed ideological lines.

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Split 4th Circ. Affirms Injunction On W.Va. Drug Discount Law

By Abigail Harrison

A split Fourth Circuit panel sided with a trio of pharmaceutical manufacturers Tuesday that opposed a West Virginia law addressing drug delivery in the 340B program, saying the law attempted to reshape the "contractual bargain" Congress makes with private parties through its spending powers.

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Big Insurers Must Face 'Repricing' Antitrust Claims

By Chris Villani

Major insurance companies including Aetna, Cigna, Humana and UnitedHealth must face claims they conspired to reduce reimbursements to healthcare providers, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Monday, finding that the doctors' allegations could constitute antitrust violations.

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5th Circ. Grills Fraudsters Over $158M Healthcare Scheme

By Spencer Brewer

A Fifth Circuit panel pushed back on two men's contention that their convictions in a $158 million healthcare scheme should get thrown out, asking Tuesday how the evidence the jury heard wasn't enough to uphold the convictions.

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Mich. Judge OKs Bias Training For Healthcare Workers

By Carolyn Muyskens

A Michigan judge has upheld a state requirement that healthcare professionals undergo implicit bias training to obtain or renew their licenses, finding the mandate was within the state licensing bureau's power.

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Pot Opponents Seek To Block CMS Hemp Benefit Program

By Sam Reisman

A coalition of anti-cannabis activists is suing federal health regulators to block a program designed to reimburse Medicare beneficiaries for the use of federally legal hemp products that have small amounts of THC.

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State Privacy Enforcers Broadening Work As Resources Grow

By Allison Grande

Privacy regulators from California, Connecticut and two other states said Tuesday that their behind-the-scenes enforcement work will soon yield public actions that focus not only on established topics such as consumer opt-outs and transparency, but also fresh issues like harms stemming from artificial intelligence and ensuring fines are more than just "a cost of doing business."

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Novartis Can't Nix FCA Suit Alleging MS Drug Kickbacks

By Gina Kim

Novartis must face a False Claims Act suit alleging it improperly had doctors prescribe its multiple sclerosis drug, a New York federal judge said Monday, finding the relator plausibly pled scienter by bringing evidence that the company "kept meticulous track" of how many prescriptions doctors wrote for the drug.

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Anesthesia Parent Can't Duck Antitrust Suit, But Affiliate Can

By Bryan Koenig

The parent company of U.S. Anesthesia Partners Inc. remains in the crosshairs of a private antitrust suit accusing it of trying to monopolize Texas anesthesia services, while a federal judge dismissed for now claims against an affiliate that he said was too far removed from the alleged rollup strategy.

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Telemedicine Biz Can't Escape Investor Suit Over User Losses

By Jessica Corso

A New York federal judge on Tuesday ruled Teladoc Health Inc. cannot escape an investor suit over its declining user base and increased advertising budget, saying the departure of its former chief executive in 2024 could indicate the company knew it was misleading shareholders about its financial state. 

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Nurses Union Can't Force Arbitration, Mich. Hospital Says

By Katherine Smith

A Michigan hospital has urged a federal court to toss a lawsuit alleging it is refusing to arbitrate claims that it removed more than $500,000 in retirement health account credits owed to registered nurses, arguing the dispute falls outside the terms of its collective bargaining agreement with the nurses union bringing the claims.

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Novartis Seeks To Block New Wash. 340B Drug-Pricing Law

By Rachel Riley

Novartis has called on a Washington federal judge to block a new state law it claims illegally expands the subsidies manufacturers must pay under the federal government's 340B Drug Pricing Program, arguing drugmakers will lose millions of dollars annually if the law is allowed to take effect in June.   

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Insurer Says Yale Was 'Misleading' In $4.1M Transplant Claim

By Mark Payne

A Liberty Mutual unit accused Yale University's health system of making "serious and material misstatements" about a plan member's bone marrow transplant, the insurer said in its answer and counterclaim for a declaratory judgment that it can continue to deny the $4.1 million claim.

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Ill. Panel Says No Error In Doc's Nerve Damage Suit Win

By Mike Curley

An Illinois state appeals court panel won't upset a jury verdict that cleared a gynecologist from claims alleging her medical negligence caused nerve damage during a long procedure, finding the trial court wasn't wrong in its evidentiary or jury decisions.

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SEIU Arbitration Suit Strains Order, Hospital Says

By Braden Campbell

A Service Employees International Union unit is stretching an arbitrator's finding that a hospital unfairly punished a worker who tested positive for cannabis use by seeking to restrict drug tests going forward, the hospital argued Tuesday in its bid to beat an Ohio federal suit.

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Kirkland, Goodwin Steer Lilly $7.8B 'Sleep-Wake' Disorder Deal

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co., advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, announced plans Tuesday to acquire daytime sleepiness-focused pharmaceutical company Centessa Pharmaceuticals PLC, led by Goodwin Procter LLP, in a deal worth up to $7.8 billion.

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Biogen Paying $5.6B For Apellis As 4 Firms Advise

By Al Barbarino

Biogen Inc. said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc. in a cash transaction valued at about $5.6 billion, with four law firms steering the transaction focused on key therapies for kidney and eye disorders. 

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Goodwin-Led Whoop Raises $575M At $10B Valuation

By Grace Dixon

Wearable technology company Whoop Inc. announced Tuesday that it hit a $10.1 billion valuation after wrapping its latest funding round led by Goodwin Procter LLP, securing $575 million in investor commitments.

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OhioHealth Suit Signals Higher Antitrust Heat On Hospitals

The recent antitrust lawsuit against OhioHealth by the U.S. Justice Department and Ohio attorney general shows that federal and state enforcers are closely examining the competition issues in the healthcare sector, including restrictive contracts and antisteering practices, say attorneys at Freshfields.

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Berk May Spur More Pushback Against Med Mal Gatekeeping

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Berk v. Choy may appear to be a run-of-the-mill reminder that a federal procedural rule trumps its state counterpart, but it could inspire more challenges to state-created prerequisites to filing medical malpractice lawsuits, say attorneys at Decof Mega.

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A Shift In Fed. Circ.'s Approach To Patent Summary Judgment

The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Range of Motion v. Armaid may come to be seen as a seminal opinion for potentially exposing and entrenching the Federal Circuit's movement away from its previous framework for identifying obvious noninfringement cases, says Nicholas Nowak at Nowak IP Group.

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Verdicts Signal Product Liability's Expansion To Digital Realm

Last week's landmark verdict in K.G.M. v. Meta Platforms Inc., along with other recent verdicts that apply product liability theories to online services that rely on algorithmic design and user engagement features, make it clear that companies must evaluate digital product design through a litigation lens, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

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Getting The Most Out Of Learning And Development Programs

Junior associates can better develop the legal, business and interpersonal skills they need for long-term success by approaching their firms’ learning and development programs armed with five tips for getting the most out of these resources, says Lauren Hakala at Reed Smith.

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Feature

Rats, Vapes And Vodka: Strange But True Cases For April Fool's

By Emily Field

A dead rodent in a burrito bowl delivery, a mix-up with vodka seltzer in the wrong cans and the Toys R Us brand taking on a Connecticut vape shop are among Law360's list of strange cases suitable for April Fool's Day.

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Analysis

'Best Judicial System In The World': Alsup Reflects On Career

By Bonnie Eslinger

Before taking inactive status late last year, U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup presided over historic litigation in California's Northern District for 26 years, arriving at his San Francisco chambers every weekday before dawn to prepare for the day's work.

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FTC Backs Florida's Move To Kill ABA's Accreditation Monopoly

By Hailey Konnath

The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that it supports the Florida Supreme Court's recent decision to end the American Bar Association's longstanding accreditation monopoly, agreeing with the finding that it is "not in Floridians' best interest for the ABA to be the sole gatekeeper" in deciding who sits for the bar exam.

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NC Attys Oppose DOJ Interference In State Ethics Complaints

By Hayley Fowler

A group of North Carolina lawyers is opposing the U.S. Department of Justice's proposed rule allowing the attorney general to review state-level ethics complaints against the department's attorneys, saying such a change would undercut the Tar Heel State's ability to regulate government lawyers.

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Blumenthal Presses DHS Chief To Scrap ICE Warrant Memo

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, is looking for assurances from the newly installed secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, that he will honor his apparent pledge to rescind a policy that allows immigration agents to enter private property without a judicial warrant.

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Habba, Ex-Firm Get Defense Redo In Suit Over Divorce Advice

By Jake Maher

A New Jersey appeals court gave former acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba another chance to pursue an anti-abusive litigation motion against an attorney suing her for malicious prosecution on Tuesday.

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7th Circ. Scolds Ex-Judge For Citing Fake Cases In Brief

By Celeste Bott

A Seventh Circuit panel admonished an attorney and former chief federal immigration judge for submitting a brief citing two nonexistent cases and a false quotation, saying while such errors can be "tell-tale signs" of AI hallucinations, her denial she used AI is "plausible" and the court won't consider further sanctions.

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'Construction Has To Stop!': Judge Blocks Trump's Ballroom

By Dorothy Atkins

A Washington, D.C., federal judge Tuesday granted a historical preservation nonprofit's request for a preliminary injunction halting President Donald Trump's plans to turn the White House's East Wing into an "enormous" 89,000-square-foot ballroom, saying "unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!"

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Beasley Allen Seeks Stay Of DQ In Federal J&J Talc MDL

By Jake Maher

The Beasley Allen Law Firm asked a New Jersey federal court on Monday to hold off on disqualifying it from talc litigation against Johnson & Johnson while it appeals the disqualification order which it called "unprecedented and incorrect."

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Senate Dems Probe Musk's Alleged Role In CTA Retreat

By Sarah Jarvis

Three Democratic senators have asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to provide information on Elon Musk's possible involvement in the rollback of the Corporate Transparency Act, saying the department's moves allow entities tied to the billionaire to operate in obscurity.

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Analysis

Defamation Litigation Roundup: Unilever, Afroman, Musk

By Theresa Schliep

In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 highlights a new suit against Unilever by an ousted member of a Ben & Jerry's board, as well as Afroman's defeat of a case by Ohio police officers after a raid of the comedic rapper's home.

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FBI Fired Agents Over Trump 2020 Election Inquiry, Suit Says

By Bonnie Eslinger

Former FBI agents who say they were illegally fired for working on the investigation into President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss filed a proposed class action in D.C. federal court Tuesday accusing the government of unconstitutional "political retribution."

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Brief

Moye White, Ex-Landlord Settle $4M Denver Lease Dispute

By Zach Dupont

Days before the start of a bench trial between a Denver landlord and defunct law firm Moye White LLP in state court, the two parties reached a settlement, ending the litigation where the landlord accused the firm of owing almost $4 million.

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