A Washington state judge considering Albertsons' mid-trial motion to dismiss allegations it fueled the state's opioid epidemic told lawyers for the state Monday that while they might have shown the pharmacy chain failed to implement an adequate monitoring system, she's still skeptical the company's conduct actually caused the overdose crisis.
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

'So What?': Albertsons Judge Skeptical Of Wash. Opioid Suit

By Ben Adlin

A Washington state judge considering Albertsons' mid-trial motion to dismiss allegations it fueled the state's opioid epidemic told lawyers for the state Monday that while they might have shown the pharmacy chain failed to implement an adequate monitoring system, she's still skeptical the company's conduct actually caused the overdose crisis.

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Colo. Judge Certifies Class In Hospital Gender Care Suit

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado state judge granted class certification in transgender adolescents' lawsuit seeking to have Children's Hospital Colorado resume providing gender-affirming medical care for them and other transgender youth patients.

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Merck Loses HHS Suit Over Medicare Drug Price Program

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge shot down Merck's challenge to the Inflation Reduction Act's Drug Price Negotiation Program on Monday, ruling that the pharmaceutical giant's voluntary participation in connected Medicare and Medicaid programs meant that its inclusion in the negotiation program doesn't constitute an unconstitutional taking.

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Ill. Won't Hold Religious Docs To 'Aid-In-Dying' Law, For Now

By Gianna Ferrarin

Illinois agreed not to force a group of religious healthcare providers to refer patients to "medical aid in dying" services, a form of care recently legalized by the state allowing certain terminally ill individuals to seek prescriptions for lethal medication to bring about their death.

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POLICY & REGULATION

Feds Propose New $103K Fee For H-1B Visa Petitions

By Ganesh Setty

The Trump administration proposed a new rule Monday that would impose a roughly $103,000 fee for all H-1B visa petitions subject to government caps, separate from the $100,000 fee President Donald Trump announced last year via executive proclamation.

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LITIGATION

CMS Must Revisit $57M Contract Over Conflicting Labor Hours

By Elaine Briseño

The Court of Federal Claims has ordered the reevaluation of a $57 million contract to process Medicare claims for equipment, finding the winning proposal had conflicting estimated labor hours that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not clarify.

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Judge Preserves, But Narrows, IP Verdict Against NuVasive

By Theresa Schliep

A Delaware federal judge on Monday kept in place much of a jury's infringement findings against NuVasive in a doctor's case against it over a group of spinal implant patents but found the jury's other infringement conclusions weren't supported by enough evidence.

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AIG Owes Primary Coverage For $4.7M Ambulance Crash Deal

By Hope Patti

An AIG unit owes primary coverage for a $4.75 million settlement of an underlying suit over an ambulance crash, a New Jersey federal court ruled, finding that a borough's coverage through a county joint insurance fund does not trigger an "other insurance" provision.

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DOJ Seeks To Beat UC Researchers' Challenge Of Grant Axings

By Madeline Lyskawa

The U.S. Department of Justice argued on Friday that the Trump administration should prevail over University of California researchers' challenges of the termination of their grants, telling a California federal judge that the First Amendment doesn't apply to competitively awarded grants.

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DOJ Backs Biotech Co. Against Red Cross At 1st Circ.

By Matthew Perlman

The U.S. Department of Justice is continuing to back a biotech company that accuses the American Red Cross of blocking competition for blood platelet testing, telling the First Circuit the nonprofit is not part of the government and is not immune from the antitrust claims.

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Tribal Opioid Suits Against Sacklers Slated For $175M Exit

By Joyce Hanson

Dozens of Native American tribes have asked an Ohio federal court to dismiss their lawsuits against members of the Sackler family, which owns bankrupt opioid maker Purdue Pharma, based on a settlement agreement that will pay $175 million to the tribes over 16 years.

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DaVita, Patients Get Early Nod In $15M Data Breach Deal

By Hailey Konnath

A Colorado federal judge has given the initial green light to DaVita Inc.'s proposed $15 million settlement with millions of past and present patients who claim the healthcare company didn't adequately protect their personal information, which was exposed in an April 2025 breach, according to an order issued Friday.

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AdaptHealth Wins First OK For $14.3M NC Overbilling Deal

By Matthew Santoni

A North Carolina federal court has given its preliminary approval to a $14.3 million settlement of claims that Pennsylvania-based AdaptHealth Corp. overbilled patients for medical equipment they had returned to the company, according to court filings.

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NJ Court Rejects Senior Facility's Read On Nursing Home Law

By Gianna Ferrarin

A New Jersey appellate court on Monday upheld a nearly $1 million judgment against a senior care network, rejecting arguments that one of its facilities wasn't operating as a nursing home in its allegedly inadequate care for an elderly patient.

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DaVita Defeats Nurse Overtime Collective Bid

By Benjamin Morse

A Colorado federal judge refused to conditionally certify a 41-state collective of DaVita nurses and technicians who say the company denied them overtime by failing to pay for short rest breaks, finding too little evidence of a companywide practice.

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Health System Must Face Nurse's Meal Break Wage Suit

By MJ Koo

A Michigan federal court has refused to dismiss a proposed collective action brought by a nurse who alleged that Trinity Health Corp. failed to pay patient care workers for meal breaks regularly interrupted by patient care duties, finding that the complaint adequately alleges that the large Catholic health system qualifies as his employer under federal wage law.

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Biopharma Co. Brass Sued Over 'Channel Stuffing' Disclosures

By Katryna Perera

The top brass of pharmaceutical company ADMA Biologics Inc., among other things, failed to disclose certain related-party transactions the company engaged in and a channel-stuffing scheme to create the appearance of revenue, according to a shareholder derivative suit filed Monday.

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Brief

Humana Strikes Deal To Wrap Up Nurse's FLSA Suit

By David Aaro

Humana Inc. and a nurse who sued the health insurer in Georgia federal court for allegedly skimping on overtime pay have reached a deal to bring her proposed collective action to a close.

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DEALS

3 Firms Build Biotech Merger With $150M In Private Funding

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Biopharmaceutical company Werewolf Therapeutics and clinical-stage biotechnology firm Ambros Therapeutics have agreed to merge in an all-stock deal built by three law firms, and includes $150 million in private funding.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

NC Dental Review Change Counters Tougher National Trend

North Carolina’s elimination of its prior review requirement for dental management agreements departs sharply from the national trend toward expanded corporate practice of medicine oversight, but stakeholders should not view this regulatory shift as a relaxation of compliance expectations, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

6th Circ. Says Judge Can't Escape Teen Mock Arrest Suit

By Susan Smiley

A Sixth Circuit panel on Monday allowed to proceed a Michigan federal lawsuit filed against a Detroit judge who handcuffed a 15-year-old student and subjected her to a mock trial after she fell asleep in his courtroom, ruling that judicial immunity does not protect him.

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Ex-DOJ Fraud Attys Switch To Civil Focus At Boutique Firm

By Phillip Bantz

Criminal fraud prosecutors commonly pursue careers as white collar defense lawyers after exiting the U.S. Department of Justice, but a group of ex-DOJ lawyers who have recently joined national litigation boutique AXS Law Group are embarking on a path less traveled.

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Choate Brings On Former Willkie CFO In Boston

By Andrea Keckley

The former chief financial officer at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has left to take on a new role as Choate Hall & Stewart LLP's CFO.

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Anthropic Appoints New General Counsel

By Matt Perez

Artificial intelligence giant Anthropic, which is behind the chatbot Claude, has appointed a new general counsel, with her predecessor moving into a role coordinating with international governments.

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Florida AG Slams Bar Complaint Against DHS Counsel

By Madison Arnold

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote to the executive director of the Florida Bar to criticize a recent complaint made to the bar against James Percival, general counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, for attacking judges.

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Greenberg Traurig Adds Morgan Lewis Employment Attorney

By Madison Arnold

A veteran Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP employment attorney in Miami has moved her practice to Greenberg Traurig LLP, the firm announced Tuesday.

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Cooley Life Sciences Atty Joins Foley & Lardner In San Diego

By Adrian Cruz

Foley & Lardner LLP announced that a life sciences attorney with over 30 years of experience has jumped to the firm's San Diego office as a partner from Cooley LLP.

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Firm Revenue Climbs 12.4% In First Half Of 2026

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Record billing rate gains, strong demand and increased productivity fueled a successful start to the year for the legal industry, according to a report released Tuesday.

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Colo. Judge Ships $8.3M Messner Reeves Fraud Suit To Utah

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado federal judge granted a motion Monday from law firm Messner Reeves LLP to move a lawsuit accusing the firm of stealing more than $8 million as part of a fraudulent loan scheme to Utah after finding the venue was the proper forum to litigate the claims.

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COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

ADMA Biologics Inc.

AdaptHealth LLC

Affordable Care LLC

Albertsons Cos. Inc.

American International Group Inc.

American Red Cross

Anthropic PBC

Aspen Dental Management Inc.

AstraZeneca PLC

Carbon Health

Cerus Corp.

Children's Hospital Colorado

Cornell University

Cottrell Inc.

DaVita Inc.

General Dynamics Corp.

Globus Medical Inc.

Google LLC

Humana Inc.

Indivior PLC

JND Legal Administration Co.

Janus Henderson Group PLC

LinkedIn Corp.

Mariani Co.

McKinsey & Co. Inc.

Merck & Co. Inc.

Nasdaq Inc.

Northeastern University

Novo Nordisk A S

NuVasive, Inc.

Outcome Health

PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center

Princeton University

Purdue Pharma LP

RA Capital Management

Rhapsody International Inc.

Rite Aid Corp.

The Florida Bar

The Kroger Co.

Trinity Health Corp.

University of Virginia

Verax Biomedical Inc.

Wells Fargo & Co.

YouTube Inc.

Zydus Pharmaceuticals Inc.

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

AXS Law Group

Bailey & Glasser

Baron & Budd

BrownGreer PLC

Carlton Fields

Chase Law & Associates

Choate Hall

Cocca & Cutinello

Cooley LLP

Cranfill Sumner

Fagan McManus

Farella Braun

Fennemore

Fieger Law

Foley & Lardner

Garnett Powell

Garrity Graham

Gordon Rees

Grabar Law

Greenberg Traurig

Holland & Knight

Jenner & Block

Jones Day

Kennedy Law Firm LLP

Kilpatrick Townsend

King & Spalding

Latham & Watkins

Levin Papantonio

Lieff Cabraser

Littler Mendelson

McCarter & English

McHugh Fuller

Messner Reeves

Milberg PLLC

Morgan & Morgan PA

Morgan Lewis

Nelson Mullins

Ogden Murphy

Perkins Law

Perkins Law Group PLLC

Polsinelli PC

Powell & Majestro

Proskauer Rose

Rigrodsky Law

Ropes & Gray

Schneider Wallace

Sidley Austin

Skikos Crawford

Spencer Fane

Stark & Stark

Stranch Jennings

Thomas More Society

Vedder Price

Wheeler Trigg

Williams & Connolly

Willkie Farr

Zeiger Tigges

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians

California Attorney General's Office

California Supreme Court

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Colorado Supreme Court

Executive Office for Immigration Review

Florida Supreme Court

Food and Drug Administration

Illinois Attorney General's Office

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

National Endowment for the Arts

National Foundation on the Arts & Humanities

National Institutes of Health

National Science Foundation

New Jersey Court

New Jersey Supreme Court

North Carolina General Assembly

U.S. Agency for International Development

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Energy

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Department of Transportation

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

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

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Colorado

United States District Court for the District of Utah

United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

Washington Attorney General's Office