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Supreme Court Deals Blow to Malpractice Plaintiffs

In a disappointing decision for malpractice plaintiffs and their medical caregivers, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 21 that patients do not have a state law private right of action against their Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) when such entities make coverage decisions that impact the patient's health care. The decision means patients have little recourse against their HMOs, which under federal law are liable to plan beneficiaries only for the cost of services they wouldn't cover.

19 minute read June 28, 2004 at 02:19 PM

By

Janice G. Inman

Supreme Court Deals Blow to Malpractice Plaintiffs

In a disappointing decision for malpractice plaintiffs and their medical caregivers, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 21 that patients do not have a state law private right of action against their Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) when such entities make coverage decisions that impact the patient's health care.

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Catching Up With the Copyright Royalty Board At the D.C. Circuit

The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), which works under the umbrella of the Librarian of Congress, sets statutory-license royalty terms and rates. The U.S. Courts of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit recently issued two notable decisions about the CRB.

October 01, 2026

For Encrypted Data, “Q-Day” Is Coming — Here Are Seven Steps to Prepare

As quantum machines become more powerful, today’s uncrackable encryption schemes may become trivial to break. Opinions vary as to how soon that moment, so-called “Q Day,” will arrive, but the threat is real.

October 01, 2026

When AI Agents Trigger a Crisis: The New Communications Playbook

How do you communicate when you know the harm before you know its cause? For law firms, it comes up both when advising a client and when explaining an incident of their own.

October 01, 2026

Law Firms Collect About 82 Cents on the Dollar — The Rest Is An Architecture Problem

The gap between what a firm bills and what it collects is not a collections failure. It is a design flaw in how the whole revenue cycle is wired, and clients armed with AI are now exploiting it faster than firms can respond.

October 01, 2026

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