Alerts

In late 2017, Evergrande Health, a Chinese company, reportedly invested approximately $2 billion in Faraday Future, Inc., a US-based automotive and technology company.

On January 7, the US Supreme Court declined to review United States ex rel. Campie v. Gilead Sciences, Inc., 862 F.3d 890 (9th Cir. 2017), leaving in place a plaintiff-friendly decision by the Ninth Circuit regarding the False Claims Act’s materiality requirement.

On January 7, 2019, the US Supreme Court denied certiorari in United States ex rel. Harman v. Trinity Industries, Inc., 872 F.3d 645 (5th Cir. 2017), a closely watched case regarding the False Claims Act’s materiality standard.

The United States is generally known as pro-arbitration, but sometimes there is uncertainty as to the role of US courts.

On December 28, 2018 Governor Charles Baker signed H.B. 4841, a bill to take effect on July 1, that will expand the state’s occupancy tax to include short-term rentals and open the potential for local taxes on top of the state levy. 

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

The United States Patent and Trademark Office greeted the new year with a welcome gift: “2019 Revised Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance” that updates the framework on subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101. 

As the government shutdown stretches on, pharmaceutical companies must manage the partial shutdown of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The end of 2018 saw good news for hospitals affected by the lowered Medicare Part B reimbursement rates for certain outpatient drugs that went into effect January 1, 2018.

It’s a typical marketing story: Not too long ago, manufacturers marketed coconut oil as a heat-tolerant alternative to other cooking oils. They further promoted it by noting that it was more sustainably harvested than palm oil and could replace butter for people avoiding dairy.

Arent Fox Sports Practice Group Leader Rich Brand, Partner Jennifer O’Sullivan, Counsel Maidie Oliveau, and Associate Justin Goldberg co-authored the article, “The Evolution of Digital Media Strategies in Major League Sports and the Legal Issues They Raise,” published by LawInSport.

The US Trade Representative (USTR) has released the first batch of approvals for exemptions from the 25% tariff on Chinese imports under Section 301 List 1. Of the 10,768 List 1 exclusions requests filed, the USTR has granted 984 exclusion requests (9%) and denied 1,257 requests (12%).

The Department of Justice recently published its annual False Claims Act (FCA) recoveries statistics for Fiscal Year 2018, reporting nearly $2.9 billion in FCA settlements and judgments in FY 2018.

Public discussion of environmental law predictably focuses on the physical environment, including newspaper articles replete with references to climate change, lead in drinking water, recycling, or stories about individual species of endangered animals such as dusky gopher frogs.

The US Government has been under a partial shutdown since December 21, 2018, and it is anyone’s guess when the shutdown will end. Congress has recessed until this week, and there is little word of progress among the parties.

When it comes to Fair Labor Standards Act compliance, a recent Department of Labor opinion letter reminds employers that they must sweat the details.

Section 16600 of the California Business & Professions Code expressly states that any contract that restrains a person from engaging in lawful business of any kind is void.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

While he did not use a hemp pen like the one used by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to sign the conference report, President Trump signed into law the 2018 farm bill that includes a provision that legalizes hemp. Specifically, the provision would remove hemp from the federal list of c

In Los Angeles alone, the LA City Attorney’s Office has in recent years initiated numerous lawsuits against hospitals and nursing facilities for homeless patient “dumping” – a practice generally described as discharging homeless persons without regard to their safety or ability to find shelter.

Headlines that matter for privacy and data security.

Arent Fox has successfully procured a patent for Acronis, a leading provider of cloud backup and cyber protection, for a new technology of verifying data integrity using a blockchain network.

Due to environmental concerns, many jurisdictions have restricted the ability of retail stores to provide plastic bags to customers at checkout.

The $50 billion dollar global online event ticketing market is expected to grow to $70 billion dollars by 2025. This growth coincides with recently heightened allegations of deceptive practices.

WASHINGTON, DC — Arent Fox LLP and Posternak Blankstein & Lund LLP are pleased to announce they have reached a formal agreement to merge, effective January 1, 2019. The merger will mark Arent Fox’s first expansion into the Boston market.