HHS OIG Reports 'Concerning' Medicare Advantage Denials

By Gianna Ferrarin

A pair of reports released by the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday found that UnitedHealth Group, Humana and CVS Health logged some of the highest prior authorization denial rates among their Medicare Advantage peers for post-acute care.

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AbbVie Loses Colorado 340B Drug Pricing Law Challenge

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday dismissed all of AbbVie Inc.'s claims against the state over its federal 340B drug pricing law, finding that the Colorado law isn't federally preempted and courts across the country have settled the issue.

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Braidwood Files New Challenge To ACA Birth Control Mandate

By Kellie Mejdrich

For-profit healthcare company Braidwood Management and several individuals sued the government in Texas federal court to challenge no-cost contraception coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act, arguing that the court should enjoin enforcement of the policy because it burdened their faith in violation of federal religious freedom law.

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23andMe To Pay $46.7M To Resolve Data Breach Claims

By Emily Lever

The plan administration trust created under the Chapter 11 plan of DNA-testing company 23andMe has struck a deal to pay $46.7 million to data breach claimants, saying the move brings 23andMe one step closer to resolving the fallout of a massive data breach in 2023.

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Legislative Update: Cannabis And Psychedelics Bill Roundup

By Sam Reisman

Lawmakers in multiple states advanced legislation reining in products derived from the kratom leaf, Pennsylvania lawmakers rejected a cannabis regulation bill, and Rhode Island's governor signed into law legislation eliminating residency requirements from the state's cannabis social equity program. Here are the major moves in cannabis and psychedelics legislation from the past week.

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5th Circ. Backs $158M Healthcare Fraud Scheme Convictions

By Gina Kim

The Fifth Circuit affirmed convictions for two men found guilty in a $158 million healthcare scheme where false claims were submitted for illegitimate compound medications, ruling Wednesday there was sufficient evidence for jurors to find they conspired to defraud federal workers' compensation programs and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

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Stop & Shop Parent Pays $40M On Inflated Drug Price Claims

By Gina Kim

Stop & Shop's parent company will pay $40 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by failing to report discounted prescription drug prices as "usual and customary" in claims submitted to federal Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE programs, which resulted in overcharges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

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11th Circ. Seeks Fla., Ga. Justices' Input On Opioid Coverage

By Hope Patti

The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday asked justices in Georgia and Florida to weigh in on whether commercial general liability insurers must defend and indemnify Publix Super Markets Inc. and a Georgia-based generic-drug wholesaler against suits claiming they improperly distributed opioids.

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Ed. Dept. Tries New Tack To Scrap K-12 Mental Health Grants

By Ben Adlin

The U.S. Department of Education pressed ahead with its plan to end up to a billion dollars in school mental health grants, arguing Wednesday that a Seattle federal judge's December 2025 injunction barring the discontinuation of the grants shouldn't block the government from canceling the contracts outright.

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Mich. Judge Denies Law Firm's Bid To Toss Data Breach Suit

By Susan Smiley

A Michigan law firm's bid to toss a proposed class action alleging that it allowed a cybersecurity breach that exposed its clients' personal and medical information was denied Thursday by a federal judge who also granted the lead plaintiff's request to amend his complaint.

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Conn. Justices Order New Trial In $13.2M Estate Tax Fight

By Aaron Keller

The Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a new trial over the state's $13.2 million tax assessment against the estate of a health insurance executive who died in Florida, saying a trial judge should have applied a lower standard of proof when determining the executive's state of residence.

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Chinese Biopharma Sues Over National Security Threat Label

By Bonnie Eslinger

Chinese pharmaceutical company WuXi AppTec sued the U.S. Department of Defense on Thursday, asking a D.C. federal court to set aside the agency's designation of the company as a Chinese military company, which it said was done "without a lawful or factual basis."

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USAA Says Therapist's Policy Doesn't Cover Ex-Lover's Death

By Ben Adlin

USAA argued in a Washington federal lawsuit Wednesday that the insurer has no duty to defend a therapist in a wrongful death action brought by the estate of a former patient who was allegedly shot and killed by the therapist's new boyfriend amid the fallout from a "tumultuous" romantic relationship.

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Fla. Dispensary Says Data Privacy Suit Is Meritless

By Jonathan Capriel

A medical marijuana patient can't sue Florida dispensary Sunburn Cannabis for secretly sharing his health data with Google LLC, the dispensary argued to a federal court this week, saying he consented to the tracking via its website's privacy policy.

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Hospital Co. Accused Of Misusing Forfeited 401(k) Funds

By Patrick Hoff

A Northwell Health Inc. subsidiary violated federal benefits law by using millions of dollars in forfeited 401(k) funds to offset its contribution obligations and allowing the $1.2 billion plan's recordkeeper to be overpaid, according to a proposed class action in Connecticut federal court.

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Brief

Fla. Hospital Antitrust Case Paused For Cert. Denial Appeal

By Nadia Dreid

Patients who have accused hospital operator Health First of illegally fending off competition by preventing doctors from referring patients to rivals have convinced a Florida federal judge to put their lawsuit on hold while they challenge her decision to deny them class certification.

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Trump Admin's Agency Records Purge Tests Judicial Notice

While courts commonly take judicial notice of data in government websites and reports, the Trump administration's recent modification or wholesale deletion of these sources means that litigants must look elsewhere to support trial admission of this information, says Jon Gryskiewicz at Lewis Baach.

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Ch. 15 Ruling Is A Restructuring Blueprint For Cannabis Cos.

The recent Cannabist Chapter 15 recognition order is arguably the most significant cannabis bankruptcy development in U.S. history, providing a concrete and tested road map by which such companies with foreign parent structures can access the protective machinery of U.S. bankruptcy law, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

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How FCA, FCPA Risks Are Shifting As Feds Pull Back

As the federal government continues its retreat from white collar enforcement, companies should expect False Claims Act risk to grow through private whistleblower suits and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act scrutiny to shift toward foreign prosecutors, requiring more adaptability as accountability becomes less centralized, says Temidayo Aganga-Williams at Selendy Gay.

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Series

Cow Horse Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Moving an unwilling 800-pound cow while riding a horse at high speed is exhilarating, a little unhinged and, at least for me, a surprisingly effective training ground for litigation — both demand focus, preparation over rigid planning and the willingness to act despite fear, says Ashley Zitrin at Glenn Agre.

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The 2026 Law360 400

By Daniela Porat

Law360 is pleased to announce its list of the 400 largest U.S. firms by headcount.

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Kellogg Hansen Bests Susman Godfrey's Associate Pay Hikes

By Andrea Keckley

More litigation boutiques are joining the growing number of firms raising their base salaries for associates, with Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick PLLC exceeding the scale Susman Godfrey LLP set earlier this week.

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SDNY US Atty Jay Clayton Picked For DNI After Pulte Pushback

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday he's nominating Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be director of national intelligence.

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Widow Sues Podhurst Orseck Over $4M 737 Max Settlement

By Mike Curley

An Indonesian widow is suing Podhurst Orseck PA and one of its attorneys in Illinois federal court, alleging they failed to keep her informed or get her all the money she was entitled to in a $4 million settlement with Boeing over the fatal crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

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Miss America CEO Wants Ex-Atty Barred From Court

By Emily Lever

The CEO of Miss America and companies linked to the pageant asked a Florida federal court on Thursday to bar their former counsel Carlton Fields from a status conference in their litigation over Miss America's bankruptcy, arguing the firm is not a party and is no longer counsel of record.

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Immigration Firm Says Attys Fraudulently Poached Clients

By Britain Eakin

A law firm recently accused of running a volume-driven immigration filing mill claimed in a new lawsuit in Ohio federal court that three attorneys and a TikTok personality orchestrated a social media campaign falsely accusing it of visa fraud as a way to poach its clients.

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Ex-Trump Atty Chesebro Gets Fla. Law License Back

By Madison Arnold

The Florida Supreme Court has reinstated the law license of former Trump campaign attorney Kenneth Chesebro after his conviction in Georgia's election interference racketeering case was eventually cleared by a court order invalidating the charge.

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Mass. Attys Ding Watchdog's 'Myopic' Public Defense Report

By Julie Manganis

The leader of a group of Massachusetts attorneys who stopped taking court-appointed cases last year over what they say are inadequate hourly rates on Thursday slammed a state inspector general's highly critical report on the state's indigent defense system as "myopic."

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