Hospital Suspects DOJ Is Forum Shopping For Trans Records

By Matthew Santoni

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia asked a federal judge this week to reassert control over the U.S. Department of Justice's demand for records of gender-affirming care, fearing the government's withdrawal of its local appeal and a case filed against another hospital in Texas portended "forum shopping" for a friendlier court.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex‑Novartis Atty Wins Revival Of Whistleblower Claims

By Carla Baranauckas

The New Jersey state appeals court on Thursday revived five whistleblower claims brought by a former Novartis compliance attorney, finding that a trial judge wrongly treated a years‑long pattern of alleged retaliation as discrete, time‑barred events rather than a continuous campaign culminating in her 2021 termination.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

La. Says Mailed Abortion Pills Harm State Budget, Sovereignty

By Dan McKay

The state of Louisiana on Thursday defended its standing to challenge telehealth access to the abortion medication mifepristone, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that it has suffered financial and other injuries as mail-order pills flood the state.

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Meta Seeks To Toss LA Jury's Social Media Addiction Verdict

By Bonnie Eslinger

Meta and its Instagram platform asked a Los Angeles judge to override a landmark jury verdict awarding millions of dollars in damages to a woman claiming she became addicted to the social media site as a child, saying in the alternative they deserve a new trial.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

UK Says Welltower's Senior Home Deals May Hurt Competition

By Isaac Monterose

The United Kingdom's antitrust authority determined Thursday that several of Welltower Inc.'s U.K. senior housing acquisitions create "a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition."

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

GAO Finds Issues With VA's Equipment Maintenance Process

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should do more to ensure that its facilities are getting the best price for the maintenance of its high-tech medical equipment, finding "ineffective" department guidance.

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

New PBGC Amicus Program Offers Input On Important Cases

By Grace Elletson

Litigants involved in benefits cases that involve novel or significant pension-related issues can now ask the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. to lodge briefs shedding light on their disputes, the PBGC announced Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NC Panel Rules Prior Verdict Bars Hospital Negligence Case

By Hayley Fowler

A divided North Carolina state appeals court panel pulled the plug on a couple's negligence case against a local hospital, finding their suit is bound by a verdict in a separate, near-identical lawsuit in which a jury cleared the same hospital of wrongdoing.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Insurer Beats Calif. Health Group's Discovery Costs Suit

By Danielle Ferguson

A California federal judge said Wednesday that an insurer did not have to reimburse the state's largest private health foundation for roughly $400,000 in discovery costs it incurred during an executive's now-settled wrongful termination suit, finding the foundation failed to get the insurer's consent before running up the bill.  

Summary Judgment attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

California Tribe Seeks Summary Win Over Opioid Clinic Denial

By Crystal Owens

A California tribe is seeking a summary judgment win after a federal judge rejected its bid for a preliminary injunction to force the Indian Health Service to approve a funding agreement for an opioid treatment clinic, arguing that the agency can't reject the offer because it expands services to non-Indians.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Harvard Pilgrim Sued Over 'Ghost' Mental Health Network

By Julie Manganis

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and its parent company have lured subscribers with a "ghost network" of mental health providers who are frequently out of network, don't accept the insurance or are not taking new patients, according to a proposed class action filed in Massachusetts state court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

9th Circ. Backs Lead Choice In Super Micro Investor Fraud Suit

By Rachel Riley

A Ninth Circuit panel has refused to undo a California federal court order rejecting Crain Walnut Shelling's bid to lead a securities class action against Super Micro Computers Inc., concluding Thursday the lower court properly determined other investors had shown the nut processor wasn't fit to spearhead the case.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bayer Sued Over Healthy Sperm Claim On 'One A Day' Pill

By Gina Kim

Bayer AG has been hit with a proposed class action in New York federal court alleging that claims on its Men's One A Day Pre-Conception Health Multivitamin supplements misleadingly convey that they could improve chances of conception and support sperm health.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge, In 'Difficult Position,' OKs Rare Patent Defense

By Elliot Weld

A Massachusetts federal judge found himself in what he said was a "difficult position" in allowing an unusual defense to be advanced in a patent infringement case related to blood pumps in light of criticism of the defense from the Federal Circuit.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Davis Polk-Led Roche To Pay Up To $1.05B For PathAI

By Al Barbarino

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is advising Roche on a deal announced Thursday that would see the Swiss healthcare company purchase a Boston-based, AI-powered digital pathology company for up to $1.05 billion.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

King & Spalding Adds Congressional Health Policy Duo In DC

By Alison Knezevich

Two former congressional staffers experienced in health policy recently joined King & Spalding LLP in its Washington, D.C., office, the firm announced this week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Speed Jigsaw Puzzling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My passion for speed puzzling — I can complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in under 50 minutes — has sharpened my legal skills in more ways than one, with both disciplines requiring patience, precision and the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind while working through the details, says Tazia Statucki at Proskauer.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Health Cos. Must Act Quickly To Secure Digital Front Doors

A fast-approaching deadline will require health providers to implement digital accessibility standards to their websites, necessitating important compliance steps that will help to ensure equal access to online health services, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen Morrisons sued by a former logistics partner, EDF and Cripps LLP face a claim brought by a family estate near Hinkley Point C and a former BBC broadcaster file a defamation claim against a Welsh news site over articles linking her to Russian state media and conspiracy theories. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Morgan Lewis Hires 2 More Hunton Litigators

By Andrea Keckley

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP announced on Friday that it has hired two more attorneys from Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP to build up its litigation bench.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Legal Industry Bounces Back, Gaining 2,400 Jobs In April

By Tracey Read

The legal sector is once again on a positive trajectory, gaining 2,400 jobs last month, according to seasonally adjusted data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Paul Weiss Says Atty Cuts Were Part Of Performance Reviews

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP told Law360 on Friday that the firm has parted ways with some attorneys following an annual review process.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Top Atty In DOJ Appeal Over Law Firm Exec Orders To Depart

By Jake Maher

The lead federal prosecutor on the Trump administration's appeal to reinstate executive orders targeting four law firms is stepping down from his government role at the end of May, he publicly announced this week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

The National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a split Seventh Circuit panel rejected the Trump administration's argument that immigrants unlawfully in the United States have no due process rights.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

The head of the U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits section said agency investigations will focus on benefit plan managers' loyalty conflicts, including pursuit of socially conscious goals. Meanwhile, Dell became the latest company to consider Texas as its new legal home. These are among the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Prosecutor Faces Probe Into Withheld Immigration Case Info

By Bonnie Eslinger

The lead assistant federal prosecutor for Rhode Island's civil division is under investigation for allegedly withholding information in an immigration case, according to an order from the Ocean State's top federal judge.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DLA Piper Accused Of 'Frivolous' Suit To Please Chipotle GC

By Gina Kim

DLA Piper aggressively litigated a "frivolous" computer fraud lawsuit against a nonprofit volunteer in order to appease the then-general counsel of Chipotle, a client, who referred the case to the firm, according to a malicious-prosecution complaint filed Thursday in California state court. 

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

By Adam LoBelia

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »