Policy & Compliance
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April 15, 2026
NC Judge Won't Undo $4M Philips Copyright Verdict
A North Carolina federal judge has refused to erase a $4 million jury verdict against independent service organization Transtate Equipment Co. for violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, saying trial evidence provided a "firm basis" to support the jury's statutory damages award.
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April 14, 2026
4th Circ. Revives Pharma Bid To Block Maryland's 340B Law
A split Fourth Circuit panel on Tuesday tossed a Maryland district court's order denying a preliminary injunction to pharmaceutical manufacturers that have challenged a state law addressing drug delivery in the federal 340B discount program, pointing to its recent ruling that West Virginia's similar statute is likely preempted.
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April 14, 2026
Justices Told That Eli Lilly's FCA Qui Tam Challenge Too Late
A whistleblower who secured a $183 million trial win against Eli Lilly urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject its constitutional challenge over his ability to sue for the federal government, arguing the drugmaker's arguments came too late.
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April 14, 2026
Colo. Justices Weigh Bid To Restore Trans Youth Care
Colorado's justices pushed Children's Hospital Colorado on Tuesday to explain how its decision to halt gender-affirming care for transgender youth patients is not discriminatory, even amid the federal government's threats to cut funding for providers that offer the care to children and adolescents.
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April 14, 2026
Trade Group Latest To Sue Wash. Over 340B Drug Pricing Law
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America claims a new Washington state law attempts to illegally reshape the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program and singles out participating drugmakers with burdensome regulations, according to a fresh federal lawsuit that follows similar constitutional challenges mounted by Novartis and AbbVie.
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April 14, 2026
Ga. Providers Say Rutledge Bars United's Preemption Win
Medical providers are urging a Georgia federal court to deny United's bid for an early win in its case seeking a declaration that the providers' purported attempt to claw back reimbursements for out-of-network services are preempted, arguing that state-law claims involving employee benefits aren't preempted by federal benefits law.
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April 14, 2026
FDA Offers Guidance On Safety Testing For Gene-Editing Tech
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued draft guidance recommending steps drug companies should take to evaluate the safety of gene-editing technology as they seek federal approval for cutting-edge treatments aimed at genetic diseases.
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April 14, 2026
7th Circ. Suggests High Court Ruling Supports Ark. PBM Rule
The Seventh Circuit appeared reluctant Tuesday to revive a union fund's challenge to an Arkansas rule making health plans disclose pharmacy compensation and pay fees, with judges pointing to a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that permitted state cost regulations on pharmacy benefit managers.
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April 14, 2026
Mich. AG Says PBMs Can't Duck Drug-Pricing Suit
Two pharmacy benefit managers can't dodge an antitrust lawsuit accusing them of price-fixing reimbursement rates because Michigan has properly claimed an antitrust violation, state Attorney General Dana Nessel told a federal court, asking it to toss aside the PBMs' dismissal bid.
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April 14, 2026
Vehicle Co. Inks $150K Deal To End Tobacco Fee Suit
International Motors LLC, formerly Navistar, has agreed to pay $150,000 to resolve a suit claiming the company illegally charged workers an extra $600 a year if they used tobacco without giving them a proper avenue to dodge the fee, according to an Illinois federal court filing.
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April 14, 2026
Screening Time Deal Doesn't Bar Break Suit, Wash. Panel Says
An eldercare company's class settlement over COVID-19 screening time doesn't bar a separate suit claiming the company failed to pay workers for missed meal breaks, a Washington state appeals court ruled, reviving the break claims.
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April 13, 2026
Ill. Judge Wants More Proof To Recalculate Kickback Damages
An Illinois federal judge tasked with recalculating damages from a home health company's referral kickback scheme said Monday that she needs more complete and reliable evidence to help determine the appropriate amount, but allowed the government to continue offsetting Medicare payments as part of its judgment collection bid.
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April 13, 2026
Mylan Can't Revive Copaxone Antitrust Claims Against Teva
A New Jersey federal judge sided Monday with a special master's recommendations to nix some of the parallel claims from Mylan and retailers like Walgreens accusing Teva of using regulatory deception, false advertising, improper rebates and more to delay generic competition to its Copaxone multiple sclerosis treatment.
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April 13, 2026
Abbott Urges Toss Of Relator, State Suits In FCA Recall Row
Abbott Laboratories urged a Michigan federal court to throw out litigation brought by whistleblowers and a group of states over the 2022 infant formula shortage, saying their respective complaints lacked the details necessary to support claims that it defrauded numerous healthcare programs.
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April 10, 2026
Chest Binders Become Latest Front In Anti-Trans Litigation
Chest binders — medical devices that can be used by individuals experiencing gender dysphoria or who want a more gender-neutral alternative to bras — have emerged as the newest target in an unfolding regulatory and legal climate that transgender advocates describe as an overtly partisan political attack against a type of product that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has deemed the least risky.
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April 10, 2026
Wisconsin High Court OKs COVID Immunity For Hospitals
A Wisconsin state appeals court erred when it held that a statute shielding healthcare providers from civil liability during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic violated a woman's constitutional right to a jury, the state's highest court ruled unanimously Friday.
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April 10, 2026
Colo. Transport Co. Says Termination Lacked Due Process
A medical transportation company that provided transportation services for Medicaid users in Denver asked a Colorado state judge to reverse a termination of its services from the state, claiming the statute used to issue the termination against the company is unconstitutional.
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April 10, 2026
Compass Group Workers Get Cert. For Tobacco Fee Suit
Former employees for food service company Compass Group USA have secured class certification for their Missouri federal lawsuit claiming the company's $48 bi-weekly health insurance fee for tobacco using-workers violates federal law.
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April 10, 2026
Philip Morris Urges 11th Circ. To Affirm FDA Rule Toss
Philip Morris urged the Eleventh Circuit to affirm a decision that struck down a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule calling for graphic warnings on cigarette packaging, arguing a district court rightly found the FDA had not followed proper procedure when crafting the regulations.
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April 10, 2026
Drugmakers Can Intervene In Texas, Fla. Abortion Drug Suit
A federal judge Friday allowed abortion medication manufacturers GenBioPro Inc. and Danco Laboratories to intervene in litigation brought by the states of Texas and Florida seeking to undo a slew of federal regulations concerning the abortion drug mifepristone.
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April 10, 2026
Elevance Can't Nix Suit Over GLP-1 Coverage For Sleep Apnea
An Indiana federal judge declined to toss a proposed class action claiming Elevance Health Inc. illegally denied coverage for a GLP-1 weight loss medication that was prescribed to treat sleep apnea, ruling that the insurance company is the right party to answer to the allegations at play.
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April 10, 2026
Ill. Jury Adds $17M Punitive Award To Baby Formula Verdict
Illinois jurors on Friday slapped another $17 million in punitive damages atop the $53 million they awarded the previous afternoon to four mothers who accused Abbott Laboratories of selling preterm infant formula that contributed to a serious and often fatal gut condition their babies developed.
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April 09, 2026
Yale Medical School Can't Nix Fraudulent Insemination Suit
Yale can't escape a negligence suit by onetime patients alleging its former fertility doctor secretly inseminated them with his own sperm, after a Connecticut judge said that a letter from an anonymous doctor, which is mandated by law to support their claims, met the statutory requirements.
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April 09, 2026
Irish Mallinckrodt Unit Stuck In Drug Price-Fixing Suit
An Irish entity of drugmaker Mallinckrodt waited too long to seek dismissal of a price-fixing lawsuit brought by states based on a lack of personal jurisdiction or proper service, a Connecticut federal judge has ruled, finding that the company first raised that argument more than five years after the complaint was filed.
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April 09, 2026
Cigna 401(k) Suit Won't Wait For Intel Supreme Court Decision
A Pennsylvania federal court turned down Cigna's bid to stay a proposed class action alleging the insurance company misspent forfeitures from its employee 401(k) plan and offered an underperforming investment fund while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a 401(k) suit against Intel, finding the request unjustified.
Doctors Hope Justices Maintain Shield Against Med Mal Suits
A case headed to the U.S. Supreme Court next week could roll back a legal doctrine that physicians say is key to protecting them from frivolous medical malpractice suits filed by patients who've already lost in state court.
High Court Ruling Won't End 'Conversion Therapy' Battles
The U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of Colorado's ban on what is commonly known as gay conversion therapy may have rendered dozens of similar laws toothless, but don't expect it to be the end of legal challenges in this arena.
As FCA Meets 340B, Geyser Of Qui Tam Suits May Erupt
A Ninth Circuit ruling on the intersection of two of the most contentious laws in healthcare may be a combustible mix that triggers a new wave of fraud litigation.
Expert Analysis
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Fraud Enforcement, Sentencing Face Unusual Convergence
The Trump administration’s newly created task force to eliminate fraud and the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s recent proposals to scale back certain elements of the federal sentencing framework seem to point in opposite directions, creating a collision of policy priorities that may reshape how fraud cases are charged, negotiated and sentenced for years to come, says David Tarras at Tarras Defense.
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Peptide Policy Is Shifting Toward Sanctioned Compounding
The policy landscape for peptides is undergoing a significant shift under the Trump administration, moving toward a complex system of verified compounding and complementary enforcement that will likely bring peptides firmly back into the sphere of legitimate consumer products, say attorneys at Sheppard.
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Trump Order Signals Tougher Benefits Fraud Probes
A recent order from President Donald Trump establishing a federal taskforce for addressing fraud in federally funded benefit programs emphasizes interagency information sharing, potentially affecting a broad range of areas including government contracts, administrative law considerations and False Claims Act cases, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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The Evolution Of States' Workplace Violence Prevention Laws
Utah's new law requiring hospitals to implement comprehensive workplace violence reporting systems continues a broader trend of state efforts to expand workplace protections in the absence of sufficient federal regulations, say attorneys at Ogletree.
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FDA Guidance May Move Goalposts For Form 483 Responses
New draft guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides formal insight on how drug manufacturers are expected to respond to Form 483s, raising some concerns about the agency's timelines and expectations, say attorneys at Cooley.
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2 Strands Of Patent Law In High Court's 'Skinny Label' Case
Amarin v. Hikma, which is set for oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court this month, highlights the distinction between two different strands of intellectual property law — analogizing a patent to either a property deed or a home, says Jonas McDavit at Spencer West.
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A Check-Up On HHS' Push To Implement AI Infrastructure
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has made some headway in its efforts to implement artificial intelligence across its agencies, but will have to overcome a number of near-term tests in order to be successful, says Theodore Thompson at Stinson.
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Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1
Michigan's financial services sector saw several significant developments in 2026's first quarter, including the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services' issuance of a bulletin on the use of artificial intelligence and the Michigan House's introduction of a bill based on the Model Money Transmission Modernization Act, say attorneys at Dykema.
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The Road Ahead For Drug Development In The US
Against the backdrop of drug manufacturers potentially looking to move development efforts overseas, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's latest guidance on new approach methodologies signals the FDA is likely to be receptive to industry innovation that makes U.S.-based drug development faster or less expensive, creating opportunities and compliance risks for tech companies, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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FDA's Crackdown On Drug Ads Conflicts With Precedent
Recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning letters to drug manufacturers targeting direct-to-consumer advertising raise significant constitutional concerns, and directly clash with prior FDA stances, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Informal Announcements Are Reshaping FDA Regulations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent shift toward using press releases, podcasts and other informal channels to announce major policy changes reflects a valid desire to modernize and accelerate regulatory efforts, but it could lead to diminished transparency, increased industry burden and reduced policy durability, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.
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A Shift In Fed. Circ.'s Approach To Patent Summary Judgment
The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Range of Motion v. Armaid may come to be seen as a seminal opinion for potentially exposing and entrenching the Federal Circuit's movement away from its previous framework for identifying obvious noninfringement cases, says Nicholas Nowak at Nowak IP Group.
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DOJ Actions Suggest Expansion Of Healthcare Enforcement
Recent actions by the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggest that federal healthcare enforcement efforts are moving away from traditional program-based fraud and toward cases centered on product integrity, regulatory transparency and telehealth marketing, effectively widening the government's enforcement playbook, say attorneys at MoFo.