Judge Rejects Extra Hurdle For Medicaid Frailty Exemption

By Chris Villani

A Trump administration bid to create additional barriers to Medicaid eligibility was rejected Thursday by a Massachusetts federal judge, who ruled that Congress did not delegate to the executive branch the task of deciding who is too medically frail to meet work requirements.

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Pa. Supreme Court OKs Cancer Misdiagnosis Retrial

By Y. Peter Kang

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday greenlighted a new trial in a suit accusing a doctor of rendering the wrong type of cancer treatment to a patient, which caused her to die more quickly, solidifying the state's risk of harm standard in medical malpractice cases.

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DOL Finalizes Pharmacy Benefit Manager Fee Disclosure Rule

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm unveiled a final rule Thursday that requires pharmacy benefit managers — which act as intermediaries between drugmakers, pharmacies and insurers — to make new disclosures on their fees and compensation to employer-sponsored group health plans.

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Judge 'Put Off' By Atty Fee Bid In $59.5M Menstrual App Deal

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge said Thursday that he'll give final approval to a $59.5 million settlement resolving class claims over a menstrual tracking app sharing sensitive health data with Google, but he cut the $19 million attorney fee request by 5%, saying counsel is "taking money out of consumers' pockets."

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Squires Grants 4 Patent Review Bids In Latest Bulk Order

By Adam Lidgett

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has greenlighted four new petitions seeking review of patents in his latest round of decisions, while turning down one on discretionary grounds.

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EMT Immunity Doesn't Cover Driving, Wash. Justices Say

By Ben Adlin

Emergency medical technicians' qualified immunity from negligence claims in Washington does not extend to driving ambulances, a divided state Supreme Court held Thursday, ruling that the transportation of patients falls outside EMTs' statutory immunity for rendering emergency services.

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Delaware Chancery Keeps $8.9B R1 RCM Buyout Claim Alive

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court has ruled that private equity firm TowerBrook Capital Partners LP and health system Ascension Health Alliance must face a stockholder claim challenging healthcare revenue management venture R1 RCM Inc.'s $8.9 billion take-private deal, finding that their joint investment vehicle qualified as a controlling stockholder despite owning less than one-third of the company's voting shares.

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Judge Rejects 'Kitchen Sink' Protest Of Optum DHA Deal

By Elaine Briseño

A Court of Federal Claims judge dismissed a protest challenging the Defense Health Agency's award of a $1.6 billion health services contract, finding the protestors spent too much time making various points instead of homing in on a winning argument.

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Colo. Justices Won't Review Hospital's Injunction Compliance

By Rachel Konieczny

The Colorado Supreme Court declined Thursday to take up transgender youth patients' challenge to a Denver judge's ruling that discharged their contempt citation against Children's Hospital Colorado for not resuming providing medical gender-affirming care to transgender adolescents.

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Pot Use Firing Suit Can Be Arbitrated Despite Flawed Clause

By Mike Curley

A California state judge has granted Aarris Healthcare Staffing LLC's bid to compel arbitration against a former employee alleging she was wrongly fired for off-duty cannabis use, despite finding portions of the agreement unenforceable.

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Pa. Court OKs Unemployment Comp Despite Off-Duty Lie

By Matthew Santoni

A Pennsylvania nurse didn't commit "willful misconduct" by refusing to answer questions about a coworker visiting her while he was on duty and she was off duty, so the nurse remained eligible to collect unemployment benefits after she was fired, a state appellate court ruled Wednesday.

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GEO Says Colo. Health Inspection Law Suit Should Survive

By Nadia Dreid

The federal contractor that runs an immigration detention center near Denver is coming out swinging against Colorado's attempt to kill its suit challenging a state law requiring extra inspections, saying its claims cannot be considered premature just because the state has not enforced the law yet.

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Fertility Cos. Accused Of Moving Eggs Without Consent

By Gianna Ferrarin

A national fertility clinic network has been hit with a suit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging it jeopardized a 50-year-old woman's ability to have a biological child by transporting her frozen eggs across state lines to an automated facility without her permission.

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What Expanded CMS Authority Means For Health Compliance

A recent delegation gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services independent authority to impose permissive exclusions, creating a more active federal enforcement system with heightened risks for healthcare organizations, says Jose Vela at Clark Hill.

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Weil's Demise Sparks Shock, Reflection In The Legal World

By Alison Knezevich and Andrea Keckley

The stunning collapse of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP is the talk of BigLaw this week, as those in the industry grapple with how the powerhouse Wall Street firm could implode so quickly.

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'Leadership Vacuum' Preceded Weil's Collapse

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson and Aebra Coe

A series of leadership failures and strategic missteps preceded the precipitous downfall of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, sources told Law360 Pulse.

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Lessons From The Past For Weil's Final Curtain Call

By Rick Archer

Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP leaders may have every reason to agree to an out-of-court wind-down, but dissolving such a storied law firm, which announced Wednesday it intends to shut down following an exodus of attorneys, is not as simple as a handshake among partners, experts said in interviews with Law360 on Wednesday.

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Weil's Collapse Ends Firm's Long Run As Bankruptcy Leader

By Alex Wittenberg

Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP helped pioneer modern bankruptcy practice and earned hundreds of millions of dollars leading many of the biggest Chapter 11 cases in U.S. history. Its collapse this week marks a stunning end to that legacy and reflects major changes in how law firms function today, attorneys told Law360.

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Troutman, Baker McKenzie Report Data Breaches

By Lynn LaRowe

Troutman Pepper Locke LLP and Baker McKenzie experienced data breaches last month as a result of social engineering attacks, according to notices submitted this week to the attorneys general offices in California and Texas.

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Morgan & Morgan Seeks To Block Celebrity Ad Ban In Florida

By Ryan Boysen

Personal injury giant Morgan & Morgan PA has asked a Florida federal court for a preliminary injunction to block a Sunshine State bar rule that forbids celebrity endorsements in attorney advertisements.

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