From UNC Health suing Aetna and Humana to Purdue Pharma reaching a settlement over its role in the opioid epidemic, here are 10 healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements and legal developments that Becker’s has reported since June 10:
1. An Ohio judge denied a former physician’s attempt to bring his defamation lawsuit against Columbus-based Mount Carmel Health System to a jury trial, effectively ending the case at the trial court level.
2. The University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore sued Maryland Physicians Care — a Medicaid managed care organization — seeking to recover more than $15 million for services allegedly provided to over 15,000 patients.
3. A federal judge approved a $69 million agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged UnitedHealth Group prioritized its business relationship with Wells Fargo over concerns that its 401(k) plan contained low-performing target-date funds.
4. All 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories agreed to a $7.5 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma over its role in the opioid epidemic.
5. A federal judge certified a class-action lawsuit against Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana that alleges the payer denied thousands of “large dollar” claims.
6. The National Institutes of Health must restore hundreds of recently canceled research grants focused on race, gender and sexual orientation, a federal judge ordered.
7. Chapel Hill-based UNC Health filed lawsuits against Aetna and Humana, alleging both insurers underpaid for 340B drug claims in violation of their contractual agreements.
8. UnitedHealth Group and Optum settled a lawsuit filed by two former employees who had alleged that the company violated state and federal employee notification laws during mass layoffs in August 2023.
9. CVS Health and a former Express Scripts president reached a settlement with Cigna over allegations that her departure violated a noncompete agreement.
10. The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which represents pharmacy benefit managers, filed a lawsuit challenging Arkansas Act 624, a recently passed state law the group says threatens patient access to medications and pharmacy services.
