Articles by Andrew Harris

Pharmacies, Distributors Say Opioid Case Judge Biased, Seek Removal

AmerisourceBergen Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., CVS Health Corp. units and other prescription drug distributors and pharmacies moved to bounce Cleveland federal judge Dan Polster from the massive opioid liability case he’s overseeing, claiming he’s likely biased against them. The Saturday …

Judge Permits Short-Term Health Plans in Blow to Obamacare Supporters

The Trump administration can expand the sale of short-term health insurance policies that don’t meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act, a federal judge ruled, advancing the government’s efforts to undo Obamacare. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington …

Doctor in Oklahoma Trial Says J&J Pushed Opioids Even After Abuse Became Known

Oklahoma’s star witness told a state judge that Johnson & Johnson pressed doctors to prescribe its painkillers even as the potentially fatal addictive threat posed by the drugs became clear more than a decade ago. The judge, Thad Balkman, is …

The Legal Engine Driving More Than 800 Lawsuits Against Opioid Makers

The place might sound familiar, even if you’ve never been there: the Appalachian foothills, down by the Ohio River, where the sirens scream addiction and death. Twenty-six overdoses in one afternoon. The highest death rate in the state. One in …

Court Upholds Federal Authority to Regulate Hobbyist Drone Use

The U.S. government’s ability to police hobbyist drone use was upheld by an appellate court Friday in a ruling that helps set the stage for a series of new restrictions and requirements aviation regulators hope to enact soon. The U.S. …

Lawsuits Seek to Hold Opioid Makers Responsible for Insurance Premium Hikes

Makers and distributors of the prescription opioids that triggered a U.S. public health crisis are responsible for a rise in health insurance premiums, according to first-of-their-kind lawsuits filed in five states. The suits open another front in the burgeoning litigation …

Settlement Reached in Partisan Lawsuit Over Obamacare Subsidies

A long-running lawsuit between the Trump administration, House Republicans and Democratic attorneys general over billions of dollars of Obamacare subsidies has been settled, according to an agreement filed in federal court Friday. The settlement agreement, details of which weren’t available …

U.S. Court Voids Recreational Drone User Registry

The government’s authority to oversee burgeoning recreational drone use was dealt a setback when a federal appeals court barred the Federal Aviation Administration from forcing hobbyists to register the millions of unmanned aircraft taking flight. While Friday’s decision by the …

Health Insurers Weigh Next Moves After Striking Out on Mergers

After 18 months of courtship and court cases, two massive deals that would have reshaped the U.S. health insurance industry have both been declared dead, blocked by judges who said they’d do unacceptable harm to competition in the industry. Now, …

Greenberg’s Starr Returns to Court Seeking Damages Over AIG Bailout

U.S. lawyers on Friday urged an appeals court to bless the federal government’s $85 billion bailout of American International Group Inc. At the same time, attorneys for Maurice “Hank” Greenberg are asking the same court to rule that he and …