High Court Maintains Abortion Pill Access Amid Circuit Appeal

By Dan McKay

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday extended a stay preserving telehealth access to the abortion medication mifepristone while the Fifth Circuit weighs a challenge to the mail-order distribution of the pill.

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'Drastic Overreach': Judge Nixes DOJ Trans Care Subpoena

By Rae Ann Varona

A Rhode Island federal judge has barred the U.S. Department of Justice from seeking or receiving gender-affirming care medical records from Rhode Island Hospital, chiding the DOJ's "drastic overreach" into the informational privacy of children who are the subject of the records.

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Takeda To Pay $13.6M Over Antidepressant Drug Kickbacks

By Gina Kim

Takeda Pharmaceuticals will pay $13.6 million to end allegations that it caused false Medicaid claims by providing kickbacks to healthcare providers to push prescriptions of its antidepressant drug Trintellix, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

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DOJ Says Yale's Medical School Discriminates Based On Race

By Hailey Konnath

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday accused the Yale School of Medicine of discriminating against white and Asian applicants, saying an investigation revealed Black and Latino students have a much higher chance of getting into the school.

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Takeda Cashed In From Delay Of Generic IBS Drug, Jury Told

By Carolyn Muyskens

Drug buyers urged a Massachusetts federal jury on Thursday to find that Takeda Pharmaceuticals conspired with another drugmaker to keep a generic version of anticonstipation drug Amitiza off the market in order to boost its own profits. 

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NC Republicans Want Fetal Personhood Question On '26 Ballot

By Abigail Harrison

Two Republicans in the North Carolina House who have a history of advancing so-called fetal personhood bills have made another attempt to put a constitutional amendment to voters in November to decide if life begins at fertilization.

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Legislative Update: Cannabis And Psychedelics Bill Roundup

By Sam Reisman

Members of Congress approved language in a funding bill that would block the rescheduling of marijuana, Colorado lawmakers gave final approval to a bill to fund research into the psychedelic ibogaine and authorize the establishment of licensed treatment centers, and Rhode Island lawmakers introduced legislation to eliminate geographic criteria from the state's cannabis social equity program.

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NJ Doctor Prescribed Medical Marijuana To Kids, AG Says

By Jonathan Capriel

A New Jersey doctor had his medical license temporarily suspended by a state board, which found there is good reason to believe he is "a grave danger" to his patients after prosecutors accused him of repeatedly prescribing marijuana to adults and children without complying with state law.

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Albertsons Not Covered In Opioid Litigation, Del. Judge Says

By Hope Patti

Albertsons isn't entitled to defense or indemnity for more than 100 suits accusing the pharmacy and grocery chain of fueling the opioid epidemic, a Delaware state court ruled, tracking the state high court's rulings in nearly identical disputes involving Rite Aid and CVS.

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Time For Trial, Judge Says, Nixing DQ Appeal In Generics MDL

By Bryan Koenig

A Pennsylvania federal judge has refused to let generic-drug makers seek Third Circuit intervention in their bid to disqualify the lead counsel for insurers Humana and Molina, concluding the fight would only further delay the long-running case ahead of its first trial in the price-fixing multidistrict litigation.

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NC Healthcare Workers Get Final Nod On $1.5M Wage Deal

By Hayley Fowler

A federal judge has given final approval to a $1.56 million settlement with the owners of several North Carolina hospitals and healthcare facilities accused of manipulating workers' time sheets to skirt overtime requirements.

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BeiGene Must Face AbbVie's Chemical Trade Secret Claims

By Elliot Weld

An Illinois federal judge has denied oncological research company BeiGene's request to escape claims from AbbVie Inc. that it poached a retired scientist to obtain trade secrets related to a certain chemical compound, saying BeiGene failed to back up its arguments.

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Hillrom Says Antitrust Row Rival Must Name Litigation Funder

By Gianna Ferrarin

Hospital bed-maker Hillrom wants rival company Linet to reveal who is funding its litigation accusing Hillrom of trying to monopolize the industry's U.S. market, telling an Illinois federal court Linet has improperly evaded court discovery orders.

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Mich. City, Mayor Deny Conspiracy To Harass Group Home

By Susan Smiley

The city of Flint and its mayor asked a Michigan federal court on Thursday to dismiss a suit brought against them by a local adult foster care home that claims they conspired with a prominent neighbor of the group home to harass and intimidate its residents.

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Pa. Psych Hospital Faces Multiple Abuse Lawsuits

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A Pittsburgh-area psychiatric hospital has been hit with five state court lawsuits alleging it allowed patients as young as 10 years old to be physically and sexually abused by staff members and other patients, despite multiple investigations and warnings.

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Brief

Moda Health Settles Wilderness Therapy Coverage Suit

By Patrick Hoff

Health insurance provider Moda Health has agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging it unlawfully denied a family's claims for their daughter's stays at two wilderness therapy programs and left them with thousands of dollars in medical bills, according to a filing in Oregon federal court.

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Carbon Health Strikes $12M Creditor Deal In Ch. 11

By Emily Lever

Urgent care facility operator Carbon Health Technologies has reached a $12 million settlement with its official committee of unsecured creditors, the debtor's counsel said Thursday.

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Blank Rome Adds Husch Blackwell's Dallas Leader

By Lynn LaRowe

Blank Rome LLP has added a former Husch Blackwell LLP lawyer to its finance, restructuring and bankruptcy practice in Dallas as the firm continues to strengthen its investment in the north Texas market.

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EPA Listing Signals New Scrutiny Of Drugs In Drinking Water

The recent publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest draft drinking water contaminant list highlights pharmaceuticals as a category of concern, marking the start of a process that could shape future research priorities, monitoring requirements, and federal and state actions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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Series

Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

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Analysis

Insider Trading Case Shows BigLaw Associate Vetting Gaps

By Chris Villani

A BigLaw attorney who was able to move through three major firms while allegedly orchestrating a massive insider trading scheme may have been aided by relatively loose hiring practices for associates that firms may consider strengthening moving forward, recruiting experts told Law360.

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DOJ Asserts Broad Power In BigLaw Executive Order Appeal

By Jared Foretek

A Trump administration attorney told the D.C. Circuit on Thursday that the courts have no authority to review the president's decision to revoke someone's security clearance for any reason, including race, religion, or even refusal to pay a $1 million bribe.

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Trump's 8th Circ. Pick Clears Senate Panel Vote

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump's nominee for the Eighth Circuit, who represented the president in the cases brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, advanced to the full Senate on Thursday.

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Thomas Urges Defense Of Constitution At Judicial Conference

By Carolina Bolado

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas urged attendees at the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Conference on Thursday to "stand up" for the U.S. Constitution and to see the positives in the country, despite its flaws, on its 250th birthday.

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Fenwick Hit With FTX Suit In DC Over $525M Losses

By Emily Lever

A group of former FTX customers has sued Fenwick & West LLP in federal court in Washington over its work representing FTX from 2018 to 2022, seeking to recover more than $525 million for losses stemming from the cryptocurrency exchange's collapse.

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NYC Bar Endorses Random Audits For Law Firm Accounts

By Emily Sawicki

The New York City Bar Association's Professional Discipline Committee on Thursday threw its support behind a statewide bill to institute a random audit program for law firm financial accounts.

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Ogletree Fights Atty's Discovery Bid For DQ Push In Bias Suit

By Lynn LaRowe

A Georgia federal court should deny a bid for discovery aimed at disqualifying Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC from defending a security company against discrimination claims because the request stems from the plaintiff's lawyer's "personal grievances," the company said Thursday.

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Lover's Ex-Wife Fights Sinema's Request For Therapy Notes

By Abigail Harrison

A bid by former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to unearth notes and communications from a therapist working with her lover's ex-wife should be summarily denied, as the ex-wife, Heather Ammel, told a North Carolina federal court Thursday that the request is a clear overreach.

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8th Circ. Backs Dismissal Of Horse Breeder's Malpractice Suit

By Tom Lotshaw

The Eighth Circuit said a federal judge was right to dismiss a malpractice suit a Minnesota horse breeder brought against Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP and one of its former attorneys for mishandling malpractice cases against three other firms.

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