Partial Delay in New ERISA Claims Review and Appeal Regulations
Client Alert | 1 min read | 07.10.01
On July 9th, the Department of Labor announced a delay (66 Fed. Reg. 35886) in the implementation date of the new ERISA claims review and appeals regulations issued November 21, 2000. Previously, the new ERISA regulations were going to be effective for all group health claims filed on or after January 1, 2002. Per the July 9th regulatory change, the new ERISA regulations will apply to group health claims filed on or after the first day of the first plan year beginning on or after July 1, 2002, but in no event, later than January 1, 2003. Consequently, for ERISA group plans with a renewal date between July 1, 2002 and December 31, 2002, the appeals process for those groups must be implemented by their renewal date. For all other groups (i.e., groups with a renewal date between January 1, 2002 and June 30, 2002), health plans must have the appeals process implemented by January 1, 2003.
Insights
Client Alert | 2 min read | 11.14.25
Claim construction is a key stage of most patent litigations, where the court must decide the meaning of any disputed terms in the patent claims. Generally, claim terms are given their plain and ordinary meaning except under two circumstances: (1) when the patentee acts as its own lexicographer and sets out a definition for the term; and (2) when the patentee disavows the full scope of the term either in the specification or during prosecution. Thorner v. Sony Comput. Ent. Am. LLC, 669 F.3d 1362, 1365 (Fed. Cir. 2012). The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Aortic Innovations LLC v. Edwards Lifesciences Corp. highlights that patentees can act as their own lexicographers through consistent, interchangeable usage of terms across the specification, effectively defining terms by implication.
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.14.25
Microplastics Update: Regulatory and Litigation Developments in 2025
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.13.25
