Yale Hospital Hit With $32M Baby Formula Death Verdict

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut judge has hit Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital with a nearly $32 million verdict over the death of a premature baby, finding doctors failed to obtain either informed consent, or any consent, before feeding the infant a diet fortified by a product produced from cow's milk.

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NC Panel Says State's Hospital Law Is Constitutional

By Abigail Harrison

North Carolina's "certificate of need" law hasn't created a monopoly nor has it restricted an eye surgeon's right to earn a living, a state court panel ruled Friday, ending for now the surgeon's yearslong suit arguing the law is facially unconstitutional.

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Feds Deny Breaking Plea Deal With Ex-Morgue Manager

By P.J. D'Annunzio

Prosecutors told a Pennsylvania federal judge Monday that they did not breach a plea deal between the government and Cedric Lodge by seeking a harsh sentence for the former head of Harvard University's morgue who admitted to theft and trafficking of human remains, claiming that Lodge's arguments to the contrary amounted to buyer's remorse.

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Pa. Nursing Home Can't Arbitrate Sex Assault Suit, Panel Says

By Y. Peter Kang

The Pennsylvania Superior Court on Monday rejected a bid to arbitrate a suit accusing a nursing home of causing a patient's sexual assault, rejecting the home's "unsubstantiated assertion" that she signed an arbitration agreement upon admittance.

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High Court Won't Review Doctor 'Upcoding' Acquittal Decision

By Mark Payne

The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it won't review a decision allowing a retrial of a Maryland doctor who was initially found guilty of a COVID-19 testing scheme but then secured an acquittal.

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Supreme Court Declines Cannabis Ban Review

By Sam Reisman

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case challenging the federal marijuana ban, leaving in place a high court precedent that has governed cannabis policy for 20 years.

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Brief

Fla. Health Clinic Chain Settles EEOC Age Bias Probe

By Jack McLoone

A healthcare provider with multiple clinics in Florida will pay $64,000 after a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation found reasonable cause to conclude that the company fired a worker over his age, the EEOC said Monday. 

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Connecticut 'Likely' To Settle Generic Drug Price Cap Dispute

By Brian Steele

A pharmaceutical industry trade group and the state of Connecticut have signaled their intent to settle a feud over the interpretation of the state's generic drug price cap law, and a federal judge gave them until Monday to say more about their plan.

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DOJ Raises Accreditation Concerns In Vet School Case

By Matthew Perlman

The U.S. Department of Justice waded into a Tennessee veterinary school's antitrust case challenging the American Veterinary Medical Association's accreditation requirements, raising concerns about the risk posed by professional groups that play gatekeeping functions.

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Md. Panel Revives Malpractice Suit Over Infected Ulcer

By Mike Curley

A Maryland state appeals court has reinstated a man's suit alleging that a hospital's negligence resulted in his infected ulcer, finding the trial court was wrong to determine that his expert was not qualified and didn't sufficiently lay out the hospital's alleged breaches.

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States Fight Sandoz Bid To Argue Duplication In Generics Row

By Matthew Santoni

Multiple attorneys general have told a Connecticut federal court that Sandoz Inc. and Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc. can't claim the states' grievances over allegations of price fixing are duplicative of claims that were already settled, since there are some claims and forms of relief that only state plaintiffs can seek.

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Investment Firms Nab Quipt Home Medical In $260M Deal

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Medical equipment provider Quipt Home Medical Corp. on Monday announced plans to go private after being purchased by a special purpose acquisition vehicle funded by investment firms Kingswood Capital Management and Forager Capital Management in a deal that values the company at $260 million and was built by three law firms.

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Cencora Pays $5B For Majority Stake Of OneOncology

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Pharmaceutical company Cencora Inc. unveiled plans Monday to acquire a majority stake in cancer care company OneOncology for $5 billion, buying interest from private equity shop TPG in a deal built by three law firms.

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Riding The Changing Winds For AI Innovations At The USPTO

As recent U.S. Patent and Trademark Office moves reshape how artificial intelligence inventions will be examined and put them on firmer eligibility footing, practitioners need to consider how this shift is both an opportunity and a challenge, say Ryan Phelan at Marshall Gerstein and attorney Mark Campagna.

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Series

The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Integrating Practice Groups

Enacting unified leadership and consistent client service standards ensures law firm practice groups connect and collaborate around shared goals, turning a law firm merger into a platform for growth rather than a period of disruption, says Brian Catlett at Fennemore Craig.

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Former DLA Piper Associate Alleges Ex-Partner Raped Her

By Lynn LaRowe

A former Boston-based DLA Piper associate on Monday launched a state lawsuit alleging she was raped at the firm's Delaware office by a former partner purportedly known for heavy drinking and inappropriate workplace conduct toward female subordinates.

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Bonus Spotlight

Elsberg Baker Exceeds, Cohen Ziffer Matches Atty Bonuses

By Tracey Read

Trial boutique Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC announced Monday that its associates will earn up to $226,250 in extra cash this year.

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'Hardworking' 9th Circ. Senior Judge Sandra Ikuta Dies At 71

By Hailey Konnath

Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta of the Ninth Circuit, who has been semi-retired since early November, died on Dec. 7 at the age of 71, exactly one month after assuming senior status, according to the Federal Judicial Center.

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ABA Flags AI Fears: Making Attys 'Worse At Their Jobs'

By Steven Lerner

The erosion of skills for junior associates, deepfakes as evidence in court and the lack of technical knowledge in law firms were among the top fears and challenges listed by the American Bar Association in a new report about artificial intelligence in the legal profession.

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Ex-US Attys Say Pardons, Loyalty Demands Hurt Rule Of Law

By Adrian Cruz

A bipartisan group of former U.S. attorneys spoke publicly Monday on their concerns regarding the direction the U.S. justice system has taken since the start of the second Trump administration and the potential risks that may pose to the rule of law.

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Arbitration Ruling Stands In Morgan & Morgan Class Action

By Chart Riggall

A Georgia federal judge said Monday she won't backtrack on her decision to send a malpractice lawsuit from a former client of Morgan & Morgan PA to arbitration, once again rejecting his arguments that his proposed class claims were exempt from an agreement to arbitrate disputes.

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Atty Seeks To Block Law Banning Fee-Sharing With ABS Firms

By Emily Sawicki

The attorney challenging a California law that blocks fee-sharing with out-of-state law firms owned by nonlawyers has petitioned for enforcement of the law to be suspended before it is set to go into effect on Jan. 1.

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Judge Won't Boot Bondi-Appointed Prosecutor In LA

By Emily Sawicki

A federal judge has refused to reconsider his ruling disqualifying Bill Essayli from holding the role of U.S. attorney but allowing him to serve as the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, finding that Essayli's appointment by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi is valid.

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Judge Willing To Take 'Heat' For Blocking ICE Arrest, Jury Told

By Nate Beck

A Wisconsin judge was willing to "take the heat" for using a staff hallway to usher an unauthorized immigrant out of her courtroom, a federal jury heard Monday, as a defense attorney argued she can't be found guilty by association just because someone in her courtroom tried to flee immigration agents.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jeff Montgomery

Litigation in Delaware's Court of Chancery sprawled from a dispute over control of banana plantations along Africa's Congo River to a fight over the late musician Prince's estate last week. Along the way, a court ruling rejected a motion for a quick decision favoring Blue Bell Creameries director and officer calls for liability releases in a tainted ice cream saga that dates to 2015.

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