Articles

02.01.18

The National Opioid Epidemic: The Emergence of a Multi-Layered Approach

On Oct. 26, 2017, Eric D. Hargan, acting secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, announced that, as a result of the opioid epidemic, “a public health emergency exists nationwide.” According to the CDC, from 1999 to 2016, more than 200,000 people died in the United ...


01.30.18

Endangered Species Case: Critical Habitat or Regulatory Taking?

The designation of private property as necessary habitat for some endangered species or other must actually be supported by evidence and must actually serve the intended purpose."Every now and then we have to wonder about the way that government operates. Some of us (at least) like to believe ...


01.29.18

The Strange State of Substance Use Disorder Information Sharing

When Pennsylvania Congressman Tim Murphy officially resigned from the House in October, media attention focused on the health policy issue at the center of Murphy’s resignation: abortion. Congressman Murphy officially opposed abortion rights, but through text messages, the married father ...


01.25.18

Potential Impacts on Telehealth From Net Neutrality Repeal

On December 14, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed the Restoring Internet Freedom Order (RIFO), repealing the FCC’s 2015 “net neutrality” rules and shifting the responsibility for regulating the conduct of Internet service providers (ISPs) to the Federal ...


01.23.18

The Future of the Streaming Economy: Five Things to Watch

Over the course of the past several years, we have been watching with a keen eye and sometimes predicting various elements of the rise of the streaming economy. At the end of 2016 we showed you how streaming income is distributed to creators and IP owners with our royalty streaming infographic and ...


01.02.18

When 60 Days Is Too Late

"Most lawyers know that filing a timely notice of appeal is crucial because an untimely appeal is a dead appeal. And most lawyers have the notion in the back of their mind that they have 60 days to appeal from a California superior court judgment. The good lawyer knows that ...


12.28.17

Asylum Law Meets Eminent Domain

"Where do immigration law and eminent domain law mix? In China, of course. Why didn’t you see that coming? Or perhaps, in the current milieu, we should just call it #inChina. But seriously, folks, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit just published an opinion in Song v. ...


12.22.17

Five Key Elements of Successful Local Initiatives to Combat the Opioid Crisis

President Trump’s declaration of a public health emergency to address the opioid epidemic brought renewed attention to a crisis that claimed more lives last year than annual deaths from car crashes and gun violence combined. All told, nearly 20 million adults nationally have a substance use ...


12.21.17

No Insurance Coverage for Employee’s Suit Because of Prior Letter

Why it mattersWhen does insurance coverage attach to a claim made by an employee? One employer learned a hard lesson when a federal court denied coverage for an employee’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charge and related lawsuit because the plaintiff had previously sent a ...


12.18.17

Pharmacies and Healthcare Facilities Await EPA's Final Pharmaceuticals Rule

As of the time of publication, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just published its Fall Regulatory Agenda (December 14, 2017). The Regulatory Agenda establishes the agency’s rulemaking priority. In addition to foreshadowing President Trump and EPA Director Scott Pruitt’s ...