Healthcare & Pharmaceutics

Black veteran faces 5-year sentence after bringing his medical pot into Alabama

A Black Iraq war veteran is facing five years in prison after a police officer arrested him for bringing medical marijuana into Alabama and liquor into a partly dry county. An officer arrested Sean Worsley in 2016 at a gas station in Gordo, Alabama, where he was playing loud music,…

Jul 17, 2020 1:22 PM CDT

Former BigLaw partner agrees to suspension after insider trading conviction

A former partner at two large law firms has agreed to a three-year suspension after his conviction for insider trading.

Jun 19, 2020 12:20 PM CDT

McConnell says COVID-19 aid bill must include liability shield for businesses and hospitals

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that a federal aid bill for state and local governments should make the money contingent on states providing liability protection to businesses and hospitals providing services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apr 29, 2020 10:26 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Find COVID-19 resources on new ABA website; law firms aid coronavirus fight

ABA coronavirus task force launches website with resources The ABA Task Force on Legal Needs Arising Out of the 2020 Pandemic is providing lawyers with resources on a new website. The online clearinghouse includes information on emerging legal issues, court access, public benefits, practice tools and pro bono mobilization. The…

Apr 3, 2020 3:23 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Jim Bakker warned about COVID-19 claims; Reed Smith widow loses in 7th Circuit

Televangelist told to stop peddling COVID-19 elixir Two state attorneys general and two federal agencies are trying to stop televangelist Jim Bakker from peddling a supplement called Silver Solution as a possible treatment for the COVID-19. The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S Food and Drug administration have sent warning…

Mar 10, 2020 4:35 PM CDT

Letter from 50 in-house counsels seeks change in expert testimony standards

Top legal officers from 50 major corporations sent a letter Monday requesting more rigorous scrutiny of expert testimony by the federal court system.

Mar 3, 2020 2:36 PM CST

‘Bluff City Law’ takes on the ‘American epidemic’ of opioid abuse

One of my best friends growing up in Western Oklahoma recently accomplished his first full year of sobriety. We had kept in sporadic contact over the last decade or two, and every time we spoke, it was like nothing had changed. That is, until something did. I knew he was…

Jan 2, 2020 5:00 PM CST

Do courts lack info about medication-assisted treatment as an option for defendants with opioid addiction?

Judges aren’t doctors, so should they make decisions on whether medication-assisted treatment is appropriate for defendants addicted to opioids? Whether a defendant can be on probation or in drug court while receiving medication-assisted treatment can differ by judge, including those in the same jurisdiction.

Dec 16, 2019 6:00 AM CST

ABA amicus brief urges SCOTUS to follow precedent in Louisiana abortion case

The ABA filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that urges the justices to reverse an appellate decision upholding a Louisiana law that requires physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital.

Dec 2, 2019 4:33 PM CST

Judge accused of ‘partisan glee’ after $8B verdict says high-five allegations were fabricated

A Philadelphia judge accused of showing “partisan glee” and high-fiving jurors after they awarded $8 billion in a Risperdal case denied the allegation Wednesday and focused on the lawyers who made the accusation.

Oct 31, 2019 10:32 AM CDT

Government fights health care fraud with aid of data analytics

The government is using data analytics to spot trends in Medicare and Medicaid billing patterns that point to possible health care fraud.

Oct 22, 2019 12:44 PM CDT

Motion accuses judge of ‘partisan glee’ after $8B Risperdal verdict

A Philadelphia judge is accused of showing “partisan glee” after jurors awarded $8 billion in punitive damages in a case brought by a man who contended his childhood use of the drug Risperdal had caused him to grow breasts.

Oct 22, 2019 10:10 AM CDT

4 drug companies agree to $260M opioid settlement with 2 Ohio counties

Four drug companies have agreed to a $260 million opioid settlement with two Ohio counties—Cuyahoga and Summit counties—that contended that the companies misled the public in their opioid marketing and created a public nuisance that endangered health.

Oct 21, 2019 11:02 AM CDT

Oops! Judge mistakenly added three zeroes to part of opioid award

An Oklahoma judge who ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the state’s opioid epidemic admitted in court on Tuesday that he made a $107 million math error.

Oct 16, 2019 10:43 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Arrests for low-level crimes plummet; inmate complains about commissary-money restitution

Arrests for low-level crimes plummet in some cities and states In some cities and states, arrests are plummeting for minor crimes such as disorderly conduct, loitering, prostitution and driving violations. Areas with lower arrest rates for such crimes include New York, California and rural Virginia, along with the cities of…

Oct 10, 2019 4:07 PM CDT