Indiana special session work pushed back to July 25
A special session of the Legislature will be held at the Indiana Statehouse to address abortion and inflation next month, but the start date on legislative work has been delayed.
Health Care
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St. Vincent doctor denied COVID vaccine religious exemption loses 7th Circuit appeal
An Indianapolis doctor who lost his position at St. Vincent Hospital when he refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds has lost his bid at the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to obtain an injunction requiring the hospital to reinstate him. However, the appellate court found lingering questions as to why other hospital employees were given religious accommodations.
Gridlock could delay COVID funds until fall — or longer
The U.S. is headed for “a lot of unnecessary loss of life,” the Biden administration says, if Congress fails to provide billions more dollars to brace for the pandemic’s next wave. Yet the quest for that money is in limbo, the latest victim of election-year gridlock that’s stalled or killed a host of Democratic priorities.
2 ‘secret children’ of ex-Indy fertility doctor sue Netflix for allegedly revealing their identities without permission
Two Marion County women who discovered they were among the nearly 100 “secret children” of a former Indiana fertility doctor that inspired the popular Netflix documentary “Our Father” are suing the film’s producers, claiming their identities were revealed without their consent.
If Roe falls, some fear repercussions for reproductive care
If the Supreme Court follows through on overturning Roe v. Wade, abortion likely will be banned or greatly restricted in about half the U.S. states. But experts and advocates fear repercussions could reach even further, affecting care for women who miscarry, couples seeking fertility treatments and access to some forms of contraception.
Federal judge issues order against research dog-breeding facility
A federal judge has issued an emergency order imposing a series of restrictions on a dog-breeding facility in Virginia owned by an Indianapolis-based company after regulators said the site was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of beagle puppies.
Oklahoma passes strictest abortion ban; services to stop
Oklahoma lawmakers on Thursday approved a bill prohibiting all abortions with few exceptions, and providers said they would stop performing the procedure as soon as the governor signs it in the latest example of the GOP’s national push to restrict access to what has been a constitutional right for nearly a half century.
IU Health doctor says he was fired for objecting to 10-minute patient visits
A longtime physician at Indiana University Health claims he was demoted and later terminated after he objected to a directive to keep each patient’s visit to 10 minutes or less.
COA finds insurance company not liable for more than policy cap
A dispute between a Fort Wayne hospital and an insurance company over payment of medical care returned to the Court of Appeals of Indiana, which found the insurance provider’s obligation under the state’s Hospital Lien Act is not greater than its policy limits.
IN Supreme Court rules for Community Health in dispute over family records
The Indiana Supreme Court has ultimately found a hospital is not liable after one of its ex-employees compromised confidential health records of several former patients and another former employee in a family feud.
National Urban League finds State of Black America is grim
The National Urban League released its annual report on the State of Black America on Tuesday, and its findings are grim. This year’s Equality Index shows Black people still get only 73.9% of the American pie white people enjoy.
Frost Brown Todd teams up with Million Meal Movement to help fight local hunger
More than 60 Frost Brown Todd LLC attorneys, paralegals and business professionals rallied together on March 1 to give back to their community after putting a pandemic-prompted pause on in-person community service events.
Anthem sues former executive over trade secrets
Indianapolis-based health insurer Anthem Inc. is suing a former executive, claiming he stole trade secrets, went to work for a direct competitor, and breached a contract involving restricted stock agreements.
IN justices decline to expand med-mal act to indemnity claims filed by one care provider against another
The Indiana Medical Malpractice Act does not apply to claims for indemnification filed by one medical provider against another, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled. The court’s decision means a breach-of-contract claim filed against a radiology services provider can proceed, because the MMA’s statute of limitations did not preclude the claim.
7th Circuit: Convicted CEO Burkhart doomed by evidence, not Barnes & Thornburg’s conflict of interest
Although the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed the legal counsel had a conflict of interest when defending James Burkhart against federal fraud charges, the disgraced CEO of American Senior Communities failed to show he suffered as a result.
Cook Medical legal battle one of largest in state history
The sprawling case against Cook Medical, the Bloomington-based maker of medical devices, has ballooned into one of the largest and longest civil actions in Indiana history.
J&J, distributors finalize $26B landmark opioid settlement
Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors finalized nationwide settlements over their role in the opioid addiction crisis Friday, an announcement that clears the way for $26 billion to flow to nearly every state and local government in the U.S.
COA invites justices to ‘dispel confusion’ in medical privacy case
A woman claiming she experienced invasion of privacy after someone other than her doctor accessed her medical records and shared them with her employer did not sway the Court of Appeals of Indiana differently on its second time hearing the case.
St. Vincent wants judge to order investigators to cooperate in case of fired physician
St. Vincent Medical Group wants to know more about why and when the federal government began investigating a Carmel doctor it fired in 2020, and has asked a federal judge to order the Department of Justice help it get to the bottom of the matter.
Ex-ambulance service owner gets probation in fraud case
The former owner of a northwest Indiana ambulance service has avoided prison after pleading guilty in a health care fraud case that cost the government of millions of dollars.