Healthcare litigation leader Gregory Pimstone and partner Barry Landsberg have been named to Daily Journal’s Top Health Care Lawyers list for the second consecutive year. This annual list recognizes the 35 leading California lawyers who specialize in healthcare litigation, transactions and counseling.
Pimstone was recognized for representing Blue Shield of California against a major tax liability claim, the resolution of which will have a major impact on Medi-Cal if it were to alter the way all HMOs in California are taxed. He is also noted for being lead litigation counsel to Health Net Inc. and its affiliates in more than 30 lawsuits filed by out-of-network substance abuse treatment providers seeking many millions of dollars in insurance payments, which his client stopped paying after learning of alleged scams. In his profile, Pimstone discussed the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on his cases, saying “[they] are moving, but at a slower pace. The court has advanced motion dates into May and June."
Landsberg was named to Daily Journal’s list for his work representing Dignity Health in a case filed by a physician seeking to reverse the revocation of his staff membership at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Stockton, which is currently under review by the California Supreme Court. Landsberg successfully defended Dignity Health in an appellate, but the case was granted review after the physician, who argued that the appellate decision with a 2005 ruling, Yaqub v. Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. Commenting on the case, Landsberg said “the question is whether a hospital slants things because it pays the hearing officer...It’s a significant matters in this particular arena."