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Expert Analysis

• Justices Could Use Purdue To Resolve Related Circuit Split

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear Harrington v. Purdue Pharma to determine the validity of nonconsensual third-party releases in bankruptcy, but justices should also take the opportunity to resolve a related circuit split over the constitutional authority of bankruptcy judges to issue final rulings on such releases, says Benjamin Feder at Kelley Drye.

• 2nd Circ. OT Ruling Guides On Pay For Off-The-Clock Work

  

  While the Second Circuit’s recent holding in Perry v. City of New York reiterated that the Fair Labor Standards Act obligates employers to pay overtime for off-the-clock work, it recognized circumstances, such as an employee’s failure to report, that allow an employer to disclaim the knowledge element that triggers this obligation, say Robert Whitman and Kyle Winnick at Seyfarth.

• Tips For Student Visa Applicants Mired In Processing Delays

  

  Notwithstanding procedural changes at the U.S. Department of State that provided hope for more timely and predictable visa processing outcomes, international student applications continue to risk becoming bogged down in administrative processing, but certain steps may improve the situation, say Carl Risch and Lauren Epstein at Mayer Brown.

• Bracing For Regulatory Delays As Shutdown Looms

  

  As a government shutdown looms, stakeholders should plan for regulatory delays and note that more regulations could become vulnerable to congressional disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, say Matthew Shapanka and Holly Fechner at Covington.

• How A Gov't Shutdown Would Affect Immigration Processing

  

  While a government shutdown would certainly create issues and cause delays for immigration processing, independently funded functions would continue for at least a limited time, and immigration practitioners can expect agencies to create reasonable exceptions and provide guidance for navigating affected matters once operations resume, say William Stock and Sarah Holler at Klasko Immigration Law Partners.

• Smart Immigration Reform Can Improve Health Care Access

  

  With the U.S. health care crisis expected to worsen due to ongoing nationwide physician shortages, immigration reform can provide one short-term solution to bring more trained doctors to medically underserved areas, says Sarah Peterson at Fragomen.

• HIV Drug Case Against Gilead Threatens Medical Innovation

  

  The California Court of Appeals should dismiss claims alleging that Gilead should be held liable for not bringing an HIV treatment to market sooner, or else the biopharmaceutical industry could be disincentivized from important development and innovation, says James Stansel at Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

• Developers Are Testing Defenses In Generative AI Litigation

  

  In the rapidly growing field of generative artificial intelligence law in the U.S., there are a few possible defenses that have already been effectively asserted by defendants in litigation, including lack of standing, reliance on the fair use doctrine, and the legality of so-called data scraping, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

• How Calif. Ruling Extends Worker Bias Liability To 3rd Parties

  

  The California Supreme Court's recent significant decision in Raines v. U.S. Healthworks Medical Group means businesses that provide employment-related services to California employers can potentially be held liable for California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act violations, says Ryan Larocca at CDF Labor.

• Laws Based On Rapid Drug Tests Are Unscientific And Unfair

  

  Given the widespread legalization of marijuana, states are increasingly implementing laws to penalize drivers under the influence of drugs, but the laws do more harm than good as the rapid tests they rely on do not accurately measure impairment, say Josh Bloom and Henry Miller at the American Council on Science and Health.

• 9th Circ.'s Latest UBH Ruling Ignores Case's Core Issue

  

  The Ninth Circuit’s recent decision to vacate its earlier opinion in Wit v. United Behavioral Health frustratingly disregards the case’s key issue of benefits coverage for mental health treatment, and illogically elevates an insurer's discretionary authority over the medically necessary needs of patients, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

• A New Strategy For Defending Spine Injury Claims

  

  With spinal injury claims proliferating — often with verdicts in the seven-figure range — defense counsel can expand their current trial playbook by retaining experts to prepare and publish peer-reviewed scientific studies that can then be used in the courtroom to help juries understand the issues, says Nicholas Hurzeler at Lewis Brisbois.

• Purdue Ch. 11 Case Exemplifies Need For 3rd-Party Releases

  

  In the Purdue Pharma Chapter 11 case, the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually decide whether the Bankruptcy Code authorizes a court to approve third-party releases, but removing this powerful tool would be a significant blow to the likelihood of future victims being made whole, says Isaac Marcushamer at DGIM Law.