More Healthcare Coverage
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December 11, 2024
Pot Farmer Opposes Sanctions In Suit Over Mistaken Raid
An Oklahoma medical marijuana cultivator whose property was destroyed when state drug enforcers mistakenly raided his legal farm is pushing back on efforts to hit him with sanctions for allegedly being belligerent during a deposition, telling a federal court that he's offered to sit down for a second round of questioning.
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December 11, 2024
Law Firm Manager Gets Prison For Bribes In No-Fault Scam
A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday hit a former law firm manager with a five-year prison sentence for paying $800,000 in bribes that fueled a $70 million no-fault automobile insurance fraud racket, saying his lawbreaking "was massive in scope."
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December 09, 2024
Condom Co. Says Rival Owes $744K In 'Naked' IP Dispute
A U.S.-based condom company told a Florida federal judge during a bench trial on Monday that an Australian rival owes at least $744,000 in attorney fees after losing in a dispute over use of the trademark "naked," saying the two had made a formal agreement but didn't memorialize it in writing.
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December 09, 2024
HIPAA Doesn't Require Interview Alerts, Mich. Panel Says
A trial judge should not have forced an assisted living facility to notify a resident suing it for medical malpractice about which healthcare providers it was interviewing in ex parte meetings, a Michigan appeals panel has ruled.
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December 09, 2024
Ohio Justices Uphold Dialysis Co.'s Tax Liability On Services
A dialysis company's receipts from laboratory tests and certain administrative costs should be sourced to Ohio, the state's highest court ruled Monday, rejecting the company's arguments that they should be sourced to other states where employees handling that part of the business performed work.
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December 09, 2024
High Court Won't Hear Zimmer Biomet Royalties Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday shot down Zimmer Biomet Holdings' challenge to the Seventh Circuit's finding that the company shouldn't have stopped paying royalties on knee replacement devices it developed using an orthopedic surgeon's various patents after those patents expired.
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December 06, 2024
Hospital Insists Colo. Justices Should Allow Lien Discovery
A Colorado hospital facing a class action alleging that it unlawfully filed liens against patients without first billing insurers told the state Supreme Court this week that a discovery order requiring a plaintiff to turn over information related to a car accident is directly relevant to whether class members actually suffered harm meriting a class action.
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December 06, 2024
Black Doctor Says BCBS Axed Her From Network Due To Race
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan wrongfully terminated a Black dermatologist from its network of health providers because of her race, the doctor told a Michigan federal court, alleging the health insurer terminated her after it claimed her "error rate" in billing was too high.
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December 05, 2024
Atlanta VA Surgeon Botched Routine Hysterectomy, Suit Says
A patient at the Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center has sued the government in Georgia federal court over claims that a doctor at the facility negligently stitched her bowel wall to her vaginal wall during a routine laparoscopic hysterectomy and disregarded signs of serious complications in the surgery's aftermath.
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December 04, 2024
7th Circ. Asks If Feds Went Too Far In $25M Kickback Case
The Seventh Circuit questioned where it should draw the line between "perfectly legal" and improper marketing conduct Wednesday as it considered vacating a medical equipment pharmacy owner's conviction for running an alleged $25 million kickback scheme with a patient-leads broker.
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December 03, 2024
J&J's Neosporin Forever Discolored Man's Groin, Suit Says
Johnson & Johnson and its consumer health spinoff were sued in California state court over claims that Neosporin antibiotic ointment badly infected a Los Angeles man's scrotum and permanently discolored his groin.
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December 02, 2024
Judge Isn't Seeing 'Good Faith' Compliance In Probiotic Feud
A Maryland federal judge said Monday that a drug company is, yet again, failing to make "good faith substantial compliance" with the terms of an injunction that followed a $15 million jury verdict in a dispute over a proprietary probiotic formula.
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December 02, 2024
Temple U., Cancer Center Say Prof's Bias Suit Short On Facts
Temple University and its cancer research center said a Pennsylvania federal court should toss most of a professor's lawsuit claiming she was denied opportunities after rejecting the advances of the center's eventual director, arguing her allegations were based on subjective beliefs rather than actual harassment.
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November 27, 2024
Conn. High Court Snapshot: Bank Regulation, Workers' Comp
When it convenes for the third term of the season, the Connecticut Supreme Court will hear cases that could affect the scope of the state banking department's authority to determine its own jurisdiction and clarify a workers' compensation benefits law.
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November 26, 2024
Officials Must Face Claims From Pot Farm Raid, Grower Says
A farmer whose Oklahoma property was razed by state drug enforcers, allegedly causing the destruction of crops and agriculture equipment worth millions of dollars, is pushing back on efforts by law enforcement to escape his suit, saying they shouldn't get qualified immunity.
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November 26, 2024
CGL Carrier Seeks $1.2M In Inter-Insurer Injury Dispute
A general liability insurer told a Michigan federal court that a professional liability insurer owes $1.2 million toward a $1.5 million settlement reached in an underlying lawsuit involving their mutual insured, a cardiovascular practice located in a Detroit hospital, arguing that the professional liability policy covered the claim.
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November 25, 2024
Philly Hospital Must Pay Patient's Family $6.8M, Jury Finds
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital must pay $6.8 million to the family of a woman who died from complications resulting from a procedure targeting a tumor, with a Philadelphia jury finding the hospital was negligent in its treatment.
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November 25, 2024
Philly Man Acquitted In $34M Pharmacy Kickback Case In NJ
A Philadelphia man has been acquitted by a New Jersey federal jury of charges related to a $34 million medication kickback scheme involving three other pharmacy executives accused of paying marketers referral fees.
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November 25, 2024
Final Buzzer Sounds On NBA Fraud Case With Doc's Sentence
A Manhattan federal judge hit a Seattle-area doctor with five years in prison Monday for joining with the ringleader of the NBA's $5 million health billing fraud ring to submit fake invoices, the final sentencing in the sprawling case.
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November 25, 2024
Jury Finds Natera Owes Guardant $292.5M In False Ad Suit
A California federal jury on Monday awarded $292.5 million in actual and punitive damages to medical test maker Guardant Health after finding that its rival Natera falsely advertised its colorectal cancer test Signatera as superior to Guardant's competing product Reveal.
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November 25, 2024
USC Doctor Can't Scrap Suspension Over Slapping Incident
A California appeals court sided with the University of Southern California in an orthopedic surgeon's suit claiming he was improperly suspended after slapping a female resident, ruling the trial court was right to find he failed to challenge the punishment in a timely manner.
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November 25, 2024
Ex-Epstein Becker Healthcare Ace Joins Polsinelli Team
Polsinelli has added a former Epstein Becker Green partner to its healthcare litigation team as a shareholder, where he'll bring experience in managed care, payor disputes and intellectual property to the firm's Nashville, Tennessee office.
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November 22, 2024
Natera's Conduct 'Despicable,' Guardant Says As Trial Wraps
Guardant urged a California federal jury at the close of its false advertising trial Friday to make rival Natera pay it hundreds of millions of dollars, saying the competitor's misrepresentation of the companies' competing cancer detection tests was "despicable," while Natera countered it was Guardant that used deceptive marketing.
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November 22, 2024
Wellness Software Co. Not Immune From IP Suit, Judge Says
A federal judge in San Antonio says the Patent Act's immunity protecting physicians from patent lawsuits is "broad, but it is not limitless," and it does not extend to a wellness software licensing company that "only licenses its product to medical providers."
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November 21, 2024
SEC Denied Civil Penalties Over Pot Pill Exec's 'Inexperience'
The SEC will score $86,000 in disgorgement and interest from a former executive of C3 International Inc. for falsely claiming the company's cannabis pill was projected to generate millions of dollars in revenue, but the court found the defendant's conduct did not warrant the civil penalty the agency requested.
Expert Analysis
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6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School
Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.
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Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware
Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.
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Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out
In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity
Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review
For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Calif. Ruling May Shield Public Employers From Labor Claims
In Stone v. Alameda Health System, the California Supreme Court recently exempted a county hospital from state-mandated rest breaks and the Private Attorneys General Act, granting government employers a robust new bulwark against other labor statutes by undermining an established doctrine for determining if a law applies to public entities, say attorneys at Hunton.
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When Investigating An Adversary, Be Wary Of Forged Records
Warnings against the use of investigators who tout their ability to find an adversary’s private documents generally emphasize the risk of illegal activity and attorney discipline, but a string of recent cases shows an additional danger — investigators might be fabricating records altogether, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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What To Expect From State AGs As Federal Control Changes
Under the next Trump administration, Democratic attorneys general are poised to strengthen enforcement in certain areas as Republican attorneys general continue their efforts with stronger federal support — resulting in a confusing patchwork of policies that create unintended liabilities for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata
Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Recent Developments In Insurance Coverage For FCA Claims
As the U.S. Department of Justice continues its vigorous False Claims Act enforcement, companies looking to their insurers to help defray the costs of an investigation or settlement should note recent decisions on which types of policies cover FCA claims, which policy periods apply and which portions of FCA-related losses are covered, say attorneys at Covington.