On June 9, 2026, Patterson Belknap secured a preliminary injunction on behalf of the firm's client, Eli Lilly and Co. ("Eli Lilly"), in a litigation alleging that the defendants caused Eli Lilly to pay more than $200 million in fraudulent rebates.  The suit was brought against DrugPlace, Inc. ("DrugPlace") and several related entities and individuals in May 2026, alleging that the defendants claimed to have provided prescription drug coverage for tens of thousands of members of two national churches, but in fact neither the healthcare plans nor the patients existed. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida granted Eli Lilly's preliminary injunction, as agreed upon by DrugPlace and its related entities. The ruling restricts defendants from submitting rebate claims...

On Thursday, June 18, Partner Clint Morrison will speak at the New York City Bar Association's 2026 Artificial Intelligence Conference, a program designed to equip attorneys and practitioners with a practical understanding of the most pressing issues affecting legal practice. Mr. Morrison will join Jerome Walker (Task Force Co-Chair and Partner, Jerome Walker PLLC), Azish Filabi (Executive Director, American College Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services), and Tanner Mathison (Corporate Counsel, AI, Amazon) for a session titled "Practice Tips for Lawyers and Courts Addressing Artificial Intelligence Personhood." To learn more, please click here.

A professional seeking to represent a debtor under Bankruptcy Code section 327(a) must not hold an interest adverse to the bankruptcy estate and must be disinterested.   A debtor’s insiders often cannot satisfy these tests. The Bankruptcy Code defines “insider” to include a “relative” of the debtor. And a “relative” is someone related to the debtor “within the third degree as determined by the common law." What does this latter phrase mean and how is it applied? In a recent case, a chapter 11 debtor sought to employ an accounting firm under section 327(a). The principal of the accounting firm was the first cousin of the owner of the debtor corporation. The U.S. Trustee objected to the retention, arguing that the debtor’s cousin was an...

From sports betting to prediction markets, the phenomenon some call "the casino-ification of America" has captured the American zeitgeist. Sports betting in particular has become ubiquitous since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 decision in Murphy v. NCAA, which opened the door for states to legalize sports gambling. Fans can now regularly bet on games and player performances directly from their smartphones. And, as several recent criminal indictments have alleged, some bettors are capitalizing on their access to inside information to obtain an unfair advantage on their wagers. This article will discuss how, because sports-related inside information continues to become more valuable, organizations including professional sports leagues, governing bodies, college athletic conferences, athletic departments and teams are playing an increasingly prominent role in...

Introduction On April 30, 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order (the “Order”) designed to expand access to retirement savings for the tens of millions of American workers who currently lack employer-sponsored retirement plans, including many small-business employees, part-time workers, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals facing barriers to saving for retirement. The Order is designed to complement the Federal Saver's Match enacted under the SECURE 2.0 Act, which provides eligible workers with a federal matching contribution of up to $1,000 for retirement savings, and to promote high-quality, low-cost individual retirement account (“IRA”) access. Key Provisions and Implications The Order directs the Secretary of the Treasury (the “Secretary”) to establish, by January 1, 2027, an informational website (TrumpIRA.gov) that will serve as a...

Before you press "go" to launch your next business idea, as a founder and entrepreneur of a start-up company you should address an important (if uninspiring) step: employment law compliance. Complacency now can turn into an expensive distraction later, with the potential to create surprise liabilities and maybe even scuttle future deals. This alert flags core employment law issues every start-up should tackle now so they don't snowball later. Onboarding Compliance Checklist Before work can begin, employers must check an ever-growing number of compliance boxes: Register to Do Business: Register your company in each state where you have employees (e.g., the local departments of tax, labor, state, etc.). Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Insurance: Obtain both in each state where you have employees. New Hire Reporting:...

Patterson Belknap is proud to announce that the firm has been recognized in The Legal 500’s United States guide as well as in its New York Elite and Private Client guides.    The following firm practices were recognized by The Legal 500: Advertising and Marketing: Litigation – United States Art and Cultural Property – Private Client Cybersecurity and Data Protection – New York Elite Dispute Resolution: Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense – United States Not-For-Profit: Fortune 1000 Private Foundations, National Trade Associations, and Charities – United States In addition, the following firm attorneys received recognition: Anne-Laure Alléhaut in Art and Cultural Property – Private Client H. Gregory Baker in Dispute Resolution: Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense – United States Michael F. Buchanan in Dispute Resolution: Corporate Investigations and...

A bankruptcy judge has ruled that a debtor can satisfy the Bankruptcy Code’s rehabilitation standard by selling its assets as a going concern and thereby avoid conversion from chapter 11 to chapter 7. In the same decision, the court denied a motion seeking the appointment of what the movants called an “examiner with expanded powers.” In re Deqser, LLC, Case No. 25-10687, 2026 Bankr. LEXIS 1004 (Bankr. D. Del. Apr. 22, 2026). The debtors operated a laundry business that serviced hotels located in New York City. The business suffered a downturn following an electrical fire at its facility as well as problems with its software. The debtors filed chapter 11 in early 2025. During their case, the debtors lost about $200,000 a...

On Monday, June 29, Partner Julie Simeone will speak on a World Services Group webinar titled "The Invisible Asset: Trade Secrets in US and Canada." Ms. Simeone will join Chantal Desjardins (Partner and Trademark Agent, Lavery) and James Duffy (Patent Agent and Senior Associate, Lavery) for a practical panel on trade secret protection enforcement examining how businesses identify and safeguard confidential information across the commercial lifecycle. To learn more, please click here.

The Securities and Exchange Commission issued a press release on April 7, 2026, announcing the agency’s enforcement results for transitional period under the new presidential administration.[1] Describing FY 2025 as “a unique period of transition,” the statement pointed to a pulse of enforcement actions initiated between October and December 2024 [2] under outgoing SEC Chair Gary Gensler, critiquing the activity as “unprecedented rush” and the focus as an “aggressive pursuit of novel legal theories.”[3]. Current SEC Chair Paul S. Atkins described the shift as having “redirected resources toward the types of misconduct that inflict the greatest harm—particularly fraud, market manipulation, and abuses of trust.”[4] During FY 2025, the SEC brought 303 standalone enforcement actions, a combination of civil suits and administrative procedures that...

On June 9, 2026, Patterson Belknap secured a preliminary injunction on behalf of the firm's client, Eli Lilly and Co. ("Eli Lilly"), in a litigation alleging that the defendants caused Eli Lilly to pay more than $200 million in fraudulent rebates.  The suit was brought against DrugPlace, Inc. ("DrugPlace") and several related entities and individuals in May 2026, alleging that the defendants claimed to have provided prescription drug coverage for tens of thousands of members of two national churches, but in fact neither the healthcare plans nor the patients existed. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida granted Eli Lilly's preliminary injunction, as agreed upon by DrugPlace and its related entities. The ruling restricts defendants from submitting rebate claims...

On Thursday, June 18, Partner Clint Morrison will speak at the New York City Bar Association's 2026 Artificial Intelligence Conference, a program designed to equip attorneys and practitioners with a practical understanding of the most pressing issues affecting legal practice. Mr. Morrison will join Jerome Walker (Task Force Co-Chair and Partner, Jerome Walker PLLC), Azish Filabi (Executive Director, American College Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services), and Tanner Mathison (Corporate Counsel, AI, Amazon) for a session titled "Practice Tips for Lawyers and Courts Addressing Artificial Intelligence Personhood." To learn more, please click here.

A professional seeking to represent a debtor under Bankruptcy Code section 327(a) must not hold an interest adverse to the bankruptcy estate and must be disinterested.   A debtor’s insiders often cannot satisfy these tests. The Bankruptcy Code defines “insider” to include a “relative” of the debtor. And a “relative” is someone related to the debtor “within the third degree as determined by the common law." What does this latter phrase mean and how is it applied? In a recent case, a chapter 11 debtor sought to employ an accounting firm under section 327(a). The principal of the accounting firm was the first cousin of the owner of the debtor corporation. The U.S. Trustee objected to the retention, arguing that the debtor’s cousin was an...

From sports betting to prediction markets, the phenomenon some call "the casino-ification of America" has captured the American zeitgeist. Sports betting in particular has become ubiquitous since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 decision in Murphy v. NCAA, which opened the door for states to legalize sports gambling. Fans can now regularly bet on games and player performances directly from their smartphones. And, as several recent criminal indictments have alleged, some bettors are capitalizing on their access to inside information to obtain an unfair advantage on their wagers. This article will discuss how, because sports-related inside information continues to become more valuable, organizations including professional sports leagues, governing bodies, college athletic conferences, athletic departments and teams are playing an increasingly prominent role in...

Introduction On April 30, 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order (the “Order”) designed to expand access to retirement savings for the tens of millions of American workers who currently lack employer-sponsored retirement plans, including many small-business employees, part-time workers, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals facing barriers to saving for retirement. The Order is designed to complement the Federal Saver's Match enacted under the SECURE 2.0 Act, which provides eligible workers with a federal matching contribution of up to $1,000 for retirement savings, and to promote high-quality, low-cost individual retirement account (“IRA”) access. Key Provisions and Implications The Order directs the Secretary of the Treasury (the “Secretary”) to establish, by January 1, 2027, an informational website (TrumpIRA.gov) that will serve as a...

Before you press "go" to launch your next business idea, as a founder and entrepreneur of a start-up company you should address an important (if uninspiring) step: employment law compliance. Complacency now can turn into an expensive distraction later, with the potential to create surprise liabilities and maybe even scuttle future deals. This alert flags core employment law issues every start-up should tackle now so they don't snowball later. Onboarding Compliance Checklist Before work can begin, employers must check an ever-growing number of compliance boxes: Register to Do Business: Register your company in each state where you have employees (e.g., the local departments of tax, labor, state, etc.). Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Insurance: Obtain both in each state where you have employees. New Hire Reporting:...