On September 9, the US Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services (the Departments) jointly released a final rule to ensure that group health plans comply with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity...more
On July 19, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas denied a motion to dismiss Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX), which claimed sovereign immunity in a suit brought by a group of providers. In so...more
Previously, we discussed how the US Supreme Court’s opinion in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce could create opportunities for private litigants to challenge health...more
7/30/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Chevron Deference ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Payment Systems ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
SCOTUS ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Stark Law
The US Supreme Court recently overturned its ruling in Chevron USA, Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., changing the landscape for federal agency rulemaking and actions, particularly in the health care industry....more
On June 28, the US Supreme Court overturned the Chevron doctrine — the legal principle that the judiciary should defer to a federal agency’s reasonable interpretation of an ambiguous statute.
Chevron reflected the view...more
7/15/2024
/ Chevron Deference ,
Chevron v NRDC ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare ,
Hospitals ,
Judicial Review ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reimbursements ,
Relentless Inc v US Department of Commerce ,
Rulemaking Process ,
SCOTUS
Last week, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a decision holding that state health care plans in North Carolina and West Virginia must cover gender-affirming surgeries.
A copy of the decision, Kadel v....more
2023 was a banner year for trade secrets, non-competes, and other restrictive covenants. Employee non-competes continued to garner attention at the federal agency level, drawing commentary and action from the Federal Trade...more
3/13/2024
/ Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Cybersecurity ,
Damages ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employment Contract ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Former Employee ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws ,
Trade Secrets
In a recent opinion, E.W. v. Health Net Life Insurance Co., the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit clarified the elements that plaintiffs must plead to state claims under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity...more
Last week, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in its third opinion in the case, reversed a lower court’s decision allowing patients challenging United Behavioral Health’s (UBH) internal mental health coverage...more
On July 25, 2023, the US Departments of Labor (DOL), Treasury (DOT), and Health and Human Services (HHS) (the Departments) released a much-anticipated interim final rule to ensure that group health plans comply with the...more
8/16/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
NQTLs ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Substance Abuse
In a case involving government contracts, the Fourth Circuit held that a company could proceed with its claims against three former employees for actions they took as employees – through their newly formed company - to pursue...more
In a recent decision, the US District Court for the District of Utah granted United Healthcare’s (UHC) motion for summary judgment on the plaintiff’s facial and as-applied claims under the Mental Health Parity Act. If...more
On December 5, 2022, the US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina held that the North Carolina State Health Plan (NCSHP) constitutes a “Health Program or Activity” under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In so...more
12/14/2022
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Health Insurance ,
North Carolina ,
Rulemaking Process ,
SCOTUS ,
Summary Judgment ,
Transgender
Earlier this month, the US District Court for the Western District of Washington certified a class of individuals who were denied gender-affirming care by a third-party administrator, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois...more
11/22/2022
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Blue Cross ,
Blue Shield ,
Declaratory Relief ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Motion for Summary Judgment ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Transgender
Earlier this month, the US District Court for District of Maryland denied a partial motion for summary judgment in a case filed by Infotek Corporation against Mr. Dwight Preston, a former employee. See Infotek Corp v....more
In a previous article, Litigating Spoliation Claims in Trade Secret Cases, we discussed the rise of spoliation in trade secret and restrictive covenant cases. In that article, we provided background on trade secret laws and...more
On June 15, Lina Khan was sworn in as Chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, Khan announced that the agency plans to use enforcement actions to curtail the use of...more
Last week, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a $2 million jury verdict against Boeing in a breach of contract suit by Alabama Aircraft Industries, Inc. (AAI), a former government contracting partner,...more
In 2021, trade secrets and non-competes continued to garner attention on the national stage. Non-competes were the focus of significant legislative activity at both the federal and local levels, while trade secrets lead to...more
On March 1, 2022, SB 21-271 will take effect in Colorado, exposing employers to increased potential criminal penalties for violations of Colorado's anti-non-compete statute, Colorado Revised Statute § 8-2-113.
Section...more