Publication Source Archive: Law360

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan was hit with a $40 million lawsuit Wednesday alleging the insurer improperly slashed its reimbursement rates for substance abuse treatment facilities, choosing to line its own pockets instead of covering the claims even as the state faced a “worsening opioid epidemic.” Matthew M. Lavin, an attorney for the facilities,…Read the article

A California federal judge has tentatively approved an increased $395,000 settlement in a class action alleging Uber denied drivers their fair share of riders’ payments, saying the deal is still on the low end, but fair. The revamped deal made three notable changes, according to Judge Alsup. Each class member will receive at least $20…Read the article

The Sackler family members who control Purdue Pharma LP can’t avoid claims they were complicit in alleged company conduct that gave rise to the nationwide opioid epidemic, a New York judge has ruled, finding they must face multidistrict litigation in the state. Salvatore C. Badala of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, also representing the plaintiffs, said his…Read the article

In March, Judge Polster ruled that BakerHoestetler couldn’t represent Endo in the bellwether cases brought by the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, finding that this nonpublic information “may go to the heart of plaintiffs’ damages claims” and if used “could materially prejudice Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.” “BakerHostetler and Ms. Rendon are unhappy that Judge…Read the article

Six New York counties accused Verizon, AT&T and other major phone service providers of shirking their duty to support local emergency call services in a state lawsuit Wednesday, joining the ranks of counties countrywide that are suing to make the telecoms pony up 911 funding. “New York is a home rule state, so the counties…Read the article

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster clears the way for testimony at a bellwether trial by Russell Portenoy. “The court concludes Dr. Portenoy’s testimony is too important to the [bellwether] trial, and that exclusion of his testimony is too extreme a sanction under these circumstances,” Judge Polster wrote in rejecting sanctions that…Read the article

The initial complaint argued that the companies are responsible for coal dust pollution from their power plants. The proposed class action stems from coal ash at the LaBelle Refuse Site owned by Matt Canestrale Contracting Inc. The families claim the ash came from several now-closed power plants in western Pennsylvania.Read the article

A California appeals court revived claims Tuesday that Merck & Co. and other diabetes drugmakers failed to warn about their drugs’ pancreatic cancer risks, finding a lower court erred in not considering scientific evidence the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hadn’t evaluated. “In light of the [Ninth] Circuit’s reversal of Judge Battaglia’s order, which the…Read the article

In a motion to dismiss, drugmakers accused Ohio cities and counties of disregarding an April case management order requiring the disclosure of prescriptions that the governments believe were medically unnecessary or medically inappropriate. Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a top attorney for the local governments, fired back on Friday, calling the motion “a ridiculous…Read the article