John Oliver Dodges Defamation Suit Over Medicaid Segment

By Y. Peter Kang

A physician highlighted in a "Last Week Tonight" segment on Medicaid who sued host John Oliver for defamation lost his case Tuesday, after a New York federal judge found the challenged statements were protected speech.

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

FTC Orders Ascension Divestiture To Complete $3.9B Deal

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Nonprofit health system Ascension Health Alliance must divest several of its surgery center facilities in order to complete its proposed $3.9 billion acquisition of AmSurg LLC, the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday.

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

Generics Makers Tell 3rd Circ. Buyers Too Few For Class

By P.J. D'Annunzio

Two pharmaceutical companies embroiled in decadelong litigation over the alleged price-fixing of generic drugs told a Third Circuit panel on Tuesday that groups of drug buyers either didn't have the numbers necessary to support class certification or were not clearly identifiable.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Lawmakers Seek IRS Tax Guidance For Cannabis Businesses

By Jonathan Capriel

A group of seven House Democrats is pressing the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to issue tax guidance for state-licensed medical cannabis businesses, warning that delay could leave taxpayers unable to claim deductions they might be eligible for after the Trump administration loosened federal restrictions.

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

NC Doctor Says 'Acquitted' Conduct Skews Sentencing

By Elizabeth Daley

A doctor convicted of making false statements in connection with an $11 million Medicare fraud scheme is urging a North Carolina federal court to exclude conduct she says she was acquitted of from her sentencing calculation, while the government argues she's mischaracterizing the outcome of the case. 

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

NJ Sues GEO Group Over Denial Of Detention Center Access

By Madeline Lyskawa

New Jersey sued the owner and operator of immigration detention center Delaney Hall in state court on Tuesday, accusing the contractor of violating state law by blocking health officials from inspecting the center.

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

R1 Deal Defendants Urge Chancery To Toss Investor Suit

By Jarek Rutz

Counsel for TowerBrook Capital Partners LP and Ascension Health Alliance urged the Delaware Chancery Court on Tuesday to dismiss a stockholder suit over medical company R1 RCM Inc.'s $8.9 billion take-private deal, arguing that the investors did not control the company under Delaware law.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Costco Wants Sanctions Over Missing Devices In Pixel Suit

By Joyce Hanson

Costco has asked a federal judge in Seattle to sanction a group of customers leading a proposed class action that accuses it of disclosing their personal health information by installing Meta Pixel and other Facebook web analytics tools on its pharmacy website.

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

Pharma Co. Inks $7M Deal To End Investor's Cancer Study Suit

By Emilie Ruscoe

A Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. investor has asked a New York federal court to approve a $7 million deal resolving class action claims alleging the drugmaker overstated its regulatory prospects for winning approval for a cancer treatment.

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

Judge Surprised By Second Phone In Abortion Pill Spike Row

By José Luis Martínez

A Texas federal judge said Tuesday that a second phone belonging to a woman who accused her boyfriend of spiking her drink with abortion pills should be produced for discovery, but noted that limits on who may review the phone data and when will apply.

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

Turning To The Courts When PBM Reform Falls Short

The effectiveness of state laws intended to regulate pharmacy benefit managers remains uncertain, but litigation — utilizing tried-and-true theories like breach of contract and fair dealing — offers another mechanism through which stakeholders may seek relief from PBMs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

2 'Rocket Dockets' And The Rules That Propel Them

The fastest civil trial courts in the country are currently in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida, and their chief judges provide insights into the court rules that keep them ahead, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Milbank Raises Associate Pay Scale, Topping Out At $455K

By Kevin Penton

Milbank LLP is increasing associate pay by $10,000 to $20,000 annually, with new salary floors of $235,000 and pay reaching as high as $455,000 for more experienced attorneys, according to the firm.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

BigLaw Could Tap PE Money For Advantage In Talent Wars

By Ryan Boysen

BigLaw firms may soon partner with private equity to gain an edge in the talent wars, potentially reshaping the U.S. legal industry despite fears that the shift could corrode firms' cultures.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fox Rothschild Atty Censured Over $2.7M In Unapproved Fees

By Adrian Cruz

A New Jersey-based bankruptcy partner at Fox Rothschild LLP has been censured by the Supreme Court of New Jersey after she was found to have wrongfully disbursed over $2.7 million in fees to her former firms without approval.

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

Chicago US Atty Report Denies Grand Jury Misconduct Claim

By Lauraann Wood

The Northern District of Illinois' top prosecutor sought to offer clarity Tuesday surrounding accusations of his possible interference with grand jury proceedings that preceded a criminal conspiracy indictment against six protesters, releasing a special report one defendant's attorney says raises more questions than it answers.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

7th Circ. Fines Deported Migrant's Atty For ChatGPT Misuse

By Emily Sawicki

The Seventh Circuit has rejected a Mexican citizen's petition challenging an immigration court's removal order on the merits, while sanctioning his attorney $5,000 for filing two legal briefs "riddled with" fabricated quotes and case citations hallucinated by ChatGPT.

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

Exclusive

Cooley Launches Global Hearings Practice As Scrutiny Rises

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Cooley LLP has established a global hearings and inquiries practice to help companies prepare comprehensive strategies as they face increased regulatory scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions, the firm exclusively told Law360 on Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-McDermott, Venable Attys Sued Over Estate's $40M Tax Bill

By Dorothy Atkins

The estate of a successful dentist who died in 2017 sued McDermott Will & Schulte LLP, Venable LLP and two attorneys in California state court Monday, alleging they gave negligent legal advice in planning the dentist's estate causing it to owe the IRS $40 million in taxes and penalties.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dem AGs Slam Climate Science Removal From Judicial Guide

By Jack Karp

The federal judiciary's decision to strike a chapter on climate change from its guide to scientific evidence is misguided, partisan and "will impede the judiciary's ability to pursue truth," according to a Tuesday letter from nearly two dozen Democratic state attorneys general.

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

Bipartisan Bill Would Modernize Court Records Systems

By Matt Perez

U.S. Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Tuesday jointly introduced the Open Courts Act, which they said would modernize the court records systems PACER and CM/ECF.

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

Feature

AI Software Contracts Need Careful Review, Attys Are Warned

By Aaron Keller

Attorneys considering adopting artificial intelligence tools must ensure software contracts comply with data privacy laws, and firms should not be afraid to quiz software sales representatives, including by asking how long the software retains data, representatives from two law firms told Connecticut lawyers Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Attys Worried Where ICE Will Draw Line In Asylum Crackdown

By Britain Eakin

Immigration attorneys are bracing for heightened scrutiny after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it would crack down on attorneys filing fraudulent asylum claims, expressing fears that the agency could blur the line between fraud and legitimate advocacy.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Won't Move Forward With $1.8B Fund, Blanche Confirms

By Courtney Bublé

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers Tuesday, "we're not moving forward" with the controversial $1.8 billion settlement fund.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Confirms Montana, Kansas Judges

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate confirmed judges Tuesday for Montana and Kansas, one of whom was the first judicial nominee of the second Trump administration to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Arias Sanguinetti's Mike Arias

By Joyce Hanson

When she was team captain with a track and field scholarship at the University of Southern California in the 1990s, Nicole Haynes was in good health and rarely had to see a doctor. So when she got a bad stomachache and her friends encouraged her to visit the USC health center, Haynes said she didn't have the right words to explain why her experience with Dr. George Tyndall had felt so invasive and wrong.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »