The Third Circuit handed down a precedential decision this week in the case of Federal Trade Commission v. AbbVie Inc., et al., No. 18-2621 (3d Cir. Sept. 30, 2020), ruling that the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania erred in requiring AbbVie and …
Last week brought a reminder that the government can bring to bear a range of legal theories – some old, some new – in pursuing alleged violations of food safety requirements. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a sentence levying $17.25 million in criminal penalties …
It has been over three months since FDA issued its press releases stating that it was postponing most foreign and domestic facility surveillance inspections (see here and here). Since then, apparently only “mission critical” surveillance inspections have taken place, leaving the bulk of registered facilities …
A Supreme Court decision this week shows good potential to upend FDA and FTC’s claim that they can without limits seek disgorgement of “profits” from defendants who engage in unlawful activities. In Liu v. Securities and Exchange Commission, the question was whether the SEC could …
As unfortunately happens during every national disaster or emergency, unscrupulous individuals and companies see an opportunity to make money. A lot of it. When that happens, there are always immediate calls to prosecute individuals and companies for “price gouging” certain products and taking advantage of …
Since HHS declared a public health emergency caused by COVID-19 in February 2020, there has been an overwhelming response to develop and market products to treat or mitigate the effects of the virus. Unfortunately, bad apples still are out there preying upon consumer fears and …
Last Thursday, March 5, 2020, the FTC filed a formal complaint alleging deceptive marketing practices against tea and skincare company, Teami, LLC, and its co-founders, as well as a stipulated order for permanent injunction and monetary judgment. In conjunction with the filings, the FTC also …
About eighteen months ago, the government accused former Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and former Theranos president Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani of wire fraud and conspiracy, a scheme that fooled investors into providing more than $700 million to the then-promising blood-testing startup. In the latest development in US …
On December 19, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or the “Agency”) filed a petition for writ of certiorari in the Supreme Court seeking review of a ruling by the Seventh Circuit case FTC v. Credit Bureau Center, LLC. A detailed overview of the background …
Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C. (“HP&M”) is pleased to present its annual report highlighting the leading enforcement actions from 2019 that affect the FDA- and DEA-regulated industries. As the largest boutique law firm dedicated to serving clients in this field, we are keenly aware of …
Subcommittees of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce heard testimony last week from the Government Accountability Office’s Mary Denigan-Macauley and from Janet Woodcock, Director of FDA’s Center of Drug Evaluation and Research, about the state of FDA’s foreign drug establishment inspection program. FDA generally conducts …
On November 5, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in favor of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and former Theranos president Sunny Balwani, in a battle over access to government documents. While this represents a small victory for these defendants, …
On November 5, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California added another entry in the long running saga United States ex rel. Campie v. Gilead Sciences, Inc. when it granted the DOJ’s motion to dismiss. We have extensively covered this case …
What do you get when you “cross an approach to discovery à la Inspector Clouseau with a corporate lawyer caricature found in cartoon caption contests?” According to Judge Steven Rau of the District of Minnesota in a 32-page order that required an “exhaustive” 15-page factual …
In a decision that could dramatically change the course of how defendants conduct discussions with the government, a district court judge in the District of Minnesota required a defendant in a False Claims Act (FCA) case to turn over to a qui tam relator the …
