State AGs, Albertsons Chain Reach $773M Opioid Deal

By Emily Field

Albertsons Cos. Inc. and the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Illinois and Oregon on Tuesday said that the pharmacy and grocery chain had agreed to a $773 million settlement in principle to end claims brought by states, local governments and Native American tribes over its role in the opioid crisis.

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4th Circ. Revives Pharma Bid To Block Maryland's 340B Law

By Lauren Berg

A split Fourth Circuit panel on Tuesday tossed a Maryland district court's order denying a preliminary injunction to pharmaceutical manufacturers that have challenged a state law addressing drug delivery in the federal 340B discount program, pointing to its recent ruling that West Virginia's similar statute is likely preempted.

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7th Circ. Suggests High Court Ruling Supports Ark. PBM Rule

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Seventh Circuit appeared reluctant Tuesday to revive a union fund's challenge to an Arkansas rule making health plans disclose pharmacy compensation and pay fees, with judges pointing to a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that permitted state cost regulations on pharmacy benefit managers.

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FDA Offers Guidance On Safety Testing For Gene-Editing Tech

By Dan McKay

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued draft guidance recommending steps drug companies should take to evaluate the safety of gene-editing technology as they seek federal approval for cutting-edge treatments aimed at genetic diseases.

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Colo. Justices Weigh Bid To Restore Trans Youth Care

By Rachel Konieczny

Colorado's justices pushed Children's Hospital Colorado on Tuesday to explain how its decision to halt gender-affirming care for transgender youth patients is not discriminatory, even amid the federal government's threats to cut funding for providers that offer the care to children and adolescents.

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Justices Told That Eli Lilly's FCA Qui Tam Challenge Too Late

By Ganesh Setty

A whistleblower who secured a $183 million trial win against Eli Lilly urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject its constitutional challenge over his ability to sue for the federal government, arguing the drugmaker's arguments came too late.

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Meta, Others Can't Look At Internal Data To Probe Jury Pool

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge on Tuesday granted an uncontested bid by school district plaintiffs to bar Meta and other social media companies from using nonpublic information — including their internal data — to investigate potential jurors for an upcoming bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation over the alleged harms of social media addiction.

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EPA Sued Over Missed Deadline For Tougher Soot Limits

By Craig Clough

A group of 17 organizations including the Sierra Club and the American Lung Association sued the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in California federal court Monday, alleging that the agency failed to meet a deadline to strengthen national air standards for soot.

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Virginia Governor Proposes Delaying Cannabis Retail Sales

By Sam Reisman

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday declined to sign into law legislation that would tax and regulate the sale of adult-use cannabis, sending the bill back to the Legislature with numerous changes, including delaying the launch of the retail market by an additional six months.

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Ginsburg Hack Conviction Upheld For Man Who Blamed Cat

By Craig Clough

The Fourth Circuit affirmed Tuesday a former hospital transplant coordinator's conviction for illegally accessing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's healthcare records, upholding a ruling that the defendant was not improperly coerced when he told FBI agents a coworker or his cat may have been responsible.

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Buyers Seek Final Approval Of $4.85M Bayer Benzene Deal

By Mike Curley

A class of consumers is asking a New Jersey federal court to give final approval of a $4.85 million settlement to resolve claims that Bayer US LLC's antifungal products were contaminated with benzene.

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Trade Group Latest To Sue Wash. Over 340B Drug Pricing Law

By Rachel Riley

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America claims a new Washington state law attempts to illegally reshape the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program and singles out participating drugmakers with burdensome regulations, according to a fresh federal lawsuit that follows similar constitutional challenges mounted by Novartis and AbbVie.

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Screening Time Deal Doesn't Bar Break Suit, Wash. Panel Says

By Benjamin Morse

An eldercare company's class settlement over COVID-19 screening time doesn't bar a separate suit claiming the company failed to pay workers for missed meal breaks, a Washington state appeals court ruled, reviving the break claims.

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Ex-UCLA Gynecologist Pleads Guilty Before Sex Abuse Retrial

By Hailey Konnath

A former University of California, Los Angeles, gynecologist on Tuesday pled guilty to sexually assaulting five patients and was once again sentenced to 11 years in prison, entering the plea at a pretrial hearing two months after a California appellate court tossed his initial convictions and ordered a new trial.

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Mich. AG Says PBMs Can't Duck Drug-Pricing Suit

By Mark Payne

Two pharmacy benefit managers can't dodge an antitrust lawsuit accusing them of price-fixing reimbursement rates because Michigan has properly claimed an antitrust violation, state Attorney General Dana Nessel told a federal court, asking it to toss aside the PBMs' dismissal bid. 

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Vehicle Co. Inks $150K Deal To End Tobacco Fee Suit

By Grace Elletson

International Motors LLC, formerly Navistar, has agreed to pay $150,000 to resolve a suit claiming the company illegally charged workers an extra $600 a year if they used tobacco without giving them a proper avenue to dodge the fee, according to an Illinois federal court filing.

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Ga. Providers Say Rutledge Bars United's Preemption Win

By Kelcey Caulder

Medical providers are urging a Georgia federal court to deny United's bid for an early win in its case seeking a declaration that the providers' purported attempt to claw back reimbursements for out-of-network services are preempted, arguing that state-law claims involving employee benefits aren't preempted by federal benefits law.

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Colo. Supplement Co. Sent Unwanted Texts, Suit Says

By MJ Koo

A Colorado dietary supplement company violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by bombarding consumers with unsolicited telemarketing text messages despite their numbers being listed on the national Do Not Call Registry, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday in Colorado federal court.

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Wash. Appeals Court Revives Podiatrist Trade Secrets Case

By Elliot Weld

An appeals court in Washington state has reinstated a case brought by a Seattle-area podiatry practice against a former employee accused of stealing patient data for his separate practice.

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Brief

4th Circ. Won't Rehear Allergan Overcharge Suit

By Tom Lotshaw

The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday denied a rehearing petition lodged after a panel revived a whistleblower suit accusing an Allergan Sales LLC predecessor of overcharging Medicaid.

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States Denied Time For Talks To Settle Drug Price-Fixing Suit

By Ben Adlin

A Connecticut federal judge Tuesday denied a request by dozens of U.S. states to freeze their antitrust case against generic-drug manufacturers, a pause the states argued would allow the parties to focus on settlement talks rather than pending discovery and motion deadlines.

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Avanos Medical Going Private In $1.3B Deal Led By 3 Firms

By Al Barbarino

American Industrial Partners has agreed to acquire Avanos Medical Inc. in an all-cash transaction valued at nearly $1.3 billion, a take-private deal steered by three law firms, Avanos announced Tuesday. 

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Eli Lilly To Purchase Cooley-Led CrossBridge In $300M Deal

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Venture-backed pre-clinical biotechnology firm CrossBridge Bio Inc., advised by Cooley LLP, on Tuesday announced that it has agreed to be bought by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co. in a deal worth up to $300 million.

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Omnicare OK'd For Ch. 11 Auction With $250M Base Bid

By Ben Zigterman

Pharmacy services provider Omnicare's choice of a $250 million stalking horse bid for its assets was approved Tuesday by a Texas bankruptcy judge, setting up a possible auction in May.

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IHC's Ch. 11 Mediation Ask 'Jumped The Gun,' Creditors Say

By Clara Geoghegan

Lenders and unsecured creditors to Inspired Healthcare Capital have told a Texas bankruptcy court it is too soon in the senior-living facility group's Chapter 11 case to appoint a mediator, arguing its mandatory mediation proposal could bind creditors' rights.

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Keys To Building Defensible Psychedelic Therapy Programs

Given the rapidly evolving legal environment for psychedelic therapies and heightened liability and compliance risks facing providers, meticulous documentation, robust risk management protocols, and proactive engagement with professional organizations and insurers are essential strategies, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and L. Alison McInnes at Mindful Health Solutions.

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Peptide Policy Is Shifting Toward Sanctioned Compounding

The policy landscape for peptides is undergoing a significant shift under the Trump administration, moving toward a complex system of verified compounding and complementary enforcement that will likely bring peptides firmly back into the sphere of legitimate consumer products, say attorneys at Sheppard.

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The 2026 Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey

How is your work-life balance? Are you content with your compensation and opportunities for advancement at work? Take the 2026 Law360 Lawyer Satisfaction Survey and share your thoughts.

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Grassley Says Cruz And Lee Top His List If Alito Retires

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Tuesday that if U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito were to retire then he would recommend the president nominate either Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, or Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

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Judiciary Panel Backs Legal Finance Project, Subpoena Rules

By Jeff Overley

Federal judiciary advisers agreed Tuesday to develop transparency obligations for litigation funders despite "vehement" views in the defense and plaintiffs bars, while also advancing controversial subpoena rules involving remote testimony and process servers.

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Analysis

IBM's FCA Deal Creates Unease Over DEI Enforcement Scope

By Madeline Lyskawa

IBM's agreement to pay the Trump administration $17 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act with policies aimed at increasing the diversity of its workforce continues to raise more questions than answers about what the administration views as illegal diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

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Mintz Can't Halt Texas Malpractice Suit For Fee Fight In Mass.

By Elliot Weld

A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday declined Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC's request to halt a former client's legal malpractice case against the firm in Texas federal court while the two fight over a $2 million "success fee" the law firm claims it is owed.

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DC Circ. Halts Boasberg's 'Unnecessary' Alien Enemies Probe

By Britain Eakin

A split D.C. Circuit panel on Tuesday halted for the second time U.S. District Judge James Boasberg's criminal contempt probe of Trump administration officials for willfully violating his order barring removals of Venezuelans under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.

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House Dem Threatens Bondi Contempt Over Epstein Files

By Courtney Bublé

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee is looking to hold former Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt if she does not appear before the committee to discuss the U.S. Department of Justice's handling of the Epstein files.

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Grassley Hits 100 Judge Confirmations As 2 Clear Senate

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the 100th district judge under Sen. Chuck Grassley's leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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Investors Want Sanctions For Fake Citations In LGBCoin Suit

By Carolina Bolado

Investors in the "Let's Go Brandon" meme token urged a Florida federal judge Monday to issue "case-terminating sanctions" against the man behind the coin, saying he and his counsel have lied in discovery, disobeyed court orders and submitted fake legal citations in at least eight filings.

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Calif. Federal Judges Weigh Audio Access For Civil Jury Trials

By Dorothy Atkins

California Northern District federal judges are seeking public comment on modifying local court rules to allow jurists to audio stream civil jury trials in the district, which regularly presides over high-stakes courtroom fights involving tech giants such as Google, Meta, OpenAI and Apple.

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IOLTA Group Owed Notice Of Settlements, Mass. Justices Say

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts' highest court said Tuesday that a committee overseeing lawyers' trust accounts should have been given a chance to request potential leftover funds prior to a judge's approval of a class action settlement, but saw no reason to unwind the deal.

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