President Donald Trump nominated his third pick to be surgeon general on Thursday, withdrawing consideration for Casey Means after her confirmation stalled in the Senate. 
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TOP NEWS

Trump Taps 3rd Surgeon General Pick, Drops Casey Means

By Mark Payne

President Donald Trump nominated his third pick to be surgeon general on Thursday, withdrawing consideration for Casey Means after her confirmation stalled in the Senate. 

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Gov't Pauses Medicaid Data Use For ICE Amid Injunction Fight

By Ben Adlin

The Trump administration agreed at a hearing Thursday to temporarily halt the use of 22 states' Medicaid data for immigration enforcement purposes until a San Francisco federal judge clarifies the boundaries of an injunction that the largely Democratic-controlled states had accused the government of flouting.

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Jury Begins Mulling If Doctors Are Liable For Fatal Overdose

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A Philadelphia jury on Thursday began deliberations in a lawsuit accusing two doctors of enabling a 26-year-old man with chronic back pain to become hooked on opioid painkillers and fatally overdose.

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POLICY & REGULATION

Trump Says Fixed-Price Procurement Deals Will Be Default

By Madeline Lyskawa

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Thursday making fixed-price contracts the default for federal contracting, as a part of an effort to tackle "unpredictable costs, bloated overhead, and weak performance incentives," which the president attributed to cost-reimbursement contracts.

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ENFORCEMENT & COMPLIANCE

Early Release Denied For Pharmacist With Blood Cancer

By Susan Smiley

A former pharmacist on Wednesday was denied an early release from his 35-month sentence for his role in a $5.6 million fraudulent prescription scheme, as a Michigan federal judge said the Bureau of Prisons was providing sufficient treatment for the pharmacist's blood cancer.

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LITIGATION

Fla. Judge Denies FTC Sanctions In Fake Health Benefits Suit

By David Minsky

A Florida federal judge Wednesday denied the Federal Trade Commission's request for sanctions against two siblings accused of destroying evidence in a lawsuit claiming they sold $91 million of fake Affordable Care Act plans, saying it's "too much of a leap" to find they violated a temporary restraining order.

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Debt Collectors Owe Charity Care Notice, Wash. Justices Say

By Lauren Berg

Just as hospitals must inform low-income patients they might qualify for financial assistance, so too must agencies collecting on medical debt, the Washington Supreme Court clarified Thursday.

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Mental Health Co. Can't Undo Jury Verdict In NC Wage Suit

By MJ Koo

A mental healthcare company's bid to throw out a jury verdict finding it willfully violated federal and state wage laws fell short because its post-trial arguments lacked supporting evidence, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Thursday.

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Express Scripts, Cigna Seek End To Ohio PBM Price Suit

By Mark Payne

After the Sixth Circuit ruled that a legal dispute between Ohio and a group of pharmacy benefit managers belongs in federal court, Express Scripts and Cigna now want dismissed the lawsuit accusing them of participating in an antitrust conspiracy that is driving up prescription drug prices. 

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Roundup

NC Biz Court Bulletin: Corporate Raid, MV Realty Settlement

By Hayley Fowler

A major case settled in the North Carolina Business Court in April as new lawsuits emerged, including a complaint by health information technology company IQVIA Holdings Inc. accusing its former top brass of orchestrating a corporate raid and defecting to a competitor. In case you missed this story and others, here are the highlights.

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Medtronic User Says Data Hack Exposed 9M Client Records

By Hailey Konnath

A Medtronic customer filed a proposed class action Thursday accusing the medical device company of failing to safeguard more than 9 million records containing personally identifiable information — including health information — exposed in a data breach earlier this month.

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Acadia Investors Get Final OK For $179M Deal, Atty Fees

By Katryna Perera

A Tennessee federal judge has given final approval to a $179 million settlement between investors and Acadia Healthcare Co. Inc., ending a class action that alleged the company misled investors about the strength of its U.K. operations.

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Brief

Judge Gives $27M Settlement Final Nod In DuPont PFAS Case

By Jonathan Capriel

A New York federal judge has granted final approval to a $27 million deal between DuPont and the Hoosick Falls residents who claimed the company's chemicals contaminated their drinking water for years, damaging their property values and leaving toxic levels of "forever chemicals" in their blood.

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Kroger's Health Plan Tobacco Fee Shirks ERISA, Suit Says

By Grace Elletson

Supermarket giant Kroger violated federal benefits law by requiring workers to pay an extra fee through their health plan if they used tobacco while failing to give them a fair opportunity to avoid the charge, according to a proposed class action filed in Ohio federal court.

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Immigrant Minors Lose Bid To Block Repeat Sponsor Vetting

By Lauren Berg

A Washington, D.C., federal judge Thursday refused to block a Trump administration policy requiring that previously approved custodians reapply to sponsor "unaccompanied" children while the minors are held in government facilities, finding that the plaintiffs have not established the government is likely acting contrary to law.

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Brief

Feds Appeal Order Freezing CDC Childhood Vaccine Changes

By Carolyn Muyskens

The Trump administration said late Wednesday that it's appealing a court order that stopped its pared-down childhood vaccine schedule from going into effect.

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BANKRUPTCY

Carbon Health Says It Needs Another $11M In DIP Financing

By Emily Lever

Carbon Health Technologies said it needs another $11 million in debtor-in-possession financing to bring its loan total to $30.5 million, as it is on the verge of running out of money to continue operating its business in Chapter 11.

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DEALS

Goodwin, Davis Polk Lead Avalyn's Upsized $300M IPO

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Biotechnology firm Avalyn Pharma Inc. began trading publicly Thursday after raising $300 million in an upsized initial public offering.

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Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

By Matthew Perlman

A pair of door manufacturers ended a landmark private merger challenge, state enforcers are gearing up for a potential Live Nation breakup bid following a crucial jury win, and a separate group of states and DirecTV are challenging Nexstar's $6.2 billion deal for rival broadcaster Tegna.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Previewing FDA National Priority Vouchers In Psychedelics EO

President Donald Trump's recent executive order on psychedelic drug access represents a watershed moment in federal drug policy, but its significance lies in two distinct regulatory pathways, the first being the Commissioner's National Priority Vouchers, which offer a significant opportunity to compress U.S. Food and Drug Administration review, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Odette Hauke at Odette Alina.

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Why Product-Based Public Nuisance Claims May Be Waning

The Maryland Supreme Court's recent decision in Express Scripts v. Anne Arundel County is the latest in a national trend of rulings rejecting product-based public nuisance claims — but other forms of government litigation against companies that allegedly increase the cost of public services are likely to continue, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

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What's At Stake For Employers In Fight Over Visa Pause

For employers that rely on foreign talent, the Trump administration’s suspension of immigrant visa issuance for the nationals of 75 countries is creating practical problems, and a recently filed lawsuit challenging the pause could determine whether consular processing, for some, ceases to be an individualized process, says attorney Lisa Eisenberg.

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Series

Playing Magic: The Gathering Makes Me A Better Lawyer

The competitive card game Magic: The Gathering offers me a training ground for the strategic thinking skills crucial to litigation, challenging me to adapt to oft-updated rules, analyze text as complicated as any statute and anticipate my opponent’s next moves, says Christopher Smith at Lash Goldberg.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

How They Won It

How Sullivan & Cromwell Won An $18B 'Bet The Country' Case

By Chris Villani

It is not often that a Second Circuit ruling is hailed as "the greatest legal achievement in national history" by a country's president, but that's what happened after a team from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP persuaded the appellate panel to nix an $18 billion judgment against Argentina.

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Jones Day Beats Sanctions Bid In $2M Fee Dispute

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois state judge has ruled that Jones Day can pursue punitive damages on several of its claims in a lawsuit alleging a former client made a series of unlawful transactions to avoid paying over $2 million in legal fees, and also denied sanctions sought by the ex-client against the firm.

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Google $700M Deal Nears Approval As Judge Questions Fees

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge said Thursday he would likely give final approval to Google's $700 million antitrust deal with states and consumers, but criticized the accompanying request for $85 million in attorney fees, calling the 100,000 hours the consumers' counsel said they spent on the case "grotesquely bloated."

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'Christian Witch' Says Jenner & Block Must Face Vax Bias Suit

By Grace Elletson

A former Jenner & Block LLP employee told an Illinois federal judge that she didn't need to disclose that she's a "Christian witch" in order to seek an exemption to the law firm's COVID-19 vaccine requirement, urging the court to reject her ex-employer's bid to toss the case.

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Senate Advances Mont. Judge Pick Rated Unqualified By ABA

By Courtney Bublé

A judicial nominee for the District of Montana who was the only nominee of the second Trump administration so far to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association advanced out of committee on Thursday.

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Judge Denies Push To Stop Closed Immigration Hearings

By Tom Lotshaw

A D.C. federal judge denied a Minnesota human rights organization's request to block immigration judges from restricting public and press access to proceedings, ruling that it failed to show an immediate threat of future harm from unlawful hearing closures.

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J&J Says Ill. Ruling Backs Beasley Allen's DQ From Talc Suits

By George Woolston

Johnson & Johnson told a New Jersey federal court that a recent ruling in Illinois backs the Beasley Allen Law Firm's disqualification from multidistrict litigation over its talcum powder.

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LSC Decries House Subcommittee's Proposed Budget Cut

By Marco Poggio

The nation's largest funder of civil legal aid condemned a House appropriations proposal to slash its budget for fiscal year 2027 by more than half, warning Thursday the reduction could leave nearly 3 million Americans without help for critical civil legal problems.

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Ex-Husch Blackwell Partner Urges Discovery In ERISA Dispute

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

A former Husch Blackwell LLP partner has urged a Missouri federal court to ignore the firm's request for summary judgment in a dispute over employee retirement benefits, arguing discovery should proceed in the proposed class action.

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Hub Hires: Weil Gotshal, Reed Smith, Morgan Lewis

By Chris Villani

April showers bring legal hires in Boston, with several attorneys on the move. Weil Gotshal snagged an international trade lawyer from Kirkland & Ellis, Morgan Lewis added an attorney from Hunton, and Reed Smith continued to expand its new Boston office.

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COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

3M Co.

Acadia Healthcare Co. Inc.

Affordable Care LLC

African Communities Together

Air France-KLM

Albertsons Cos. Inc.

Alkermes PLC

Alphabet Inc.

Amazon.com Inc.

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Bar Association

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina

Boston University

British Broadcasting Corp.

Burford Capital LLC

Carbon Health

Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc.

Cencora Inc.

Crystal Geyser Water Co.

Democracy Forward Foundation

DuPont de Nemours Inc.

Earth Island Institute Inc.

Epic Games Inc.

Eton Park Capital Management LP

Exela Pharma Sciences LLC

Express Scripts Holding Co.

Google LLC

Hasbro Inc.

Hawaiian Holdings Inc.

Here Media Inc.

Honeywell International Inc.

Humana Inc.

IonQ Inc.

Iqvia Holdings Inc.

JELD-WEN Inc.

Johnson & Johnson

LCI Industries

Liberty Global Inc.

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.

Maine Medical Center

Match Group LLC

Medtronic PLC

Merck & Co. Inc.

Meta Platforms Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

Nasdaq Inc.

National Center for Youth Law

National Immigration Law Center

Newegg Inc.

Nexstar Media Group Inc.

Norfolk Southern Corp.

Northrop Grumman Corp.

Orbital ATK Inc.

Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd.

Patrick Industries Inc.

Plains All American Pipeline L.P.

Prime Therapeutics LLC

Purdue Pharma LP

Repsol SA

Saint-Gobain SA

Sappi Limited

SkyWater Technology Inc.

Skydance Media LLC

Soverain Software

Steves & Sons Inc.

TRI Pointe Group Inc.

Tegna Inc.

Terns Pharmaceuticals Inc.

The Advocates for Human Rights

The Cigna Group

The DIRECTV Group Inc.

The Gap Inc.

The Kroger Co.

Twitter Inc.

U-Haul International Inc.

U.S. Anesthesia Partners

UPM-Kymmene

Walmart Inc.

Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Welsh Carson Anderson & Stowe

YPF SA

YouTube Inc.

eBay Inc.

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Advisors LLC

Ashcraft & Gerel

Bailey & Glasser

Barnes & Thornburg

Bartlit Beck

Beasley Allen

Bradford Andresen

Brown Rudnick

Capezza Hill

Chestnut Cambronne

Clement & Murphy

Cohen Placitella

Cosgrave Vergeer

Davis Polk

Debevoise & Plimpton

Dowd Bloch

Epstein Becker

Faegre Drinker

Faraci Lange

Foley & Lardner

Freiwald Law

Freshfields

GessnerLaw

Goodwin Procter

Gray Newell Thomas

Hinckley Allen

Hogan Lovells

Hunton Andrews

Husch Blackwell

Jackson Lewis PC

Jenner & Block

Joffe Law PA

Jones Day

K&L Gates

KTBS Law

Kaplan Fox

Kellogg Hansen

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis

Lash Goldberg

Lightfoot Franklin

Lynch Thompson

Marshall Dennehey

Morgan Lewis

Morrison & Foerster

Munger Tolles

Nelson Mullins

O'Melveny & Myers

Pachulski Stang

Pitta LLP

Reed Smith

Riley & Jacobson

Robbins Geller

Ropes & Gray

Rule Garza

Sanford Heisler

Shook Hardy

Sills Cummis

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Siri & Glimstad

Sperling Kenny

Stinson LLP

Sullivan & Cromwell

Taft Stettinius

Tripp Scott

Troutman

Weil Gotshal

Weitz & Luxenberg

Williams Cedar

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

California Department of Justice

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

China's National Development and Reform Commission

Competition and Markets Authority

Cook County Circuit Court

European Commission

Executive Office for Immigration Review

Executive Office of the President

Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Trade Commission

Food and Drug Administration

Legal Services Corp.

Maryland General Assembly

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

New Jersey Supreme Court

North Carolina Department of Justice

Ohio Attorney General's Office

Ohio Legislature

Ohio Supreme Court

Oklahoma Supreme Court

Surface Transportation Board

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

U.S. Department of Defense

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 State

U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of Southern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

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

U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina

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

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

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

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

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

US Office of Management and Budget

United States District Court for the District of Montana

United States District Court for the District of Nevada

United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

Washington Legislature