Claudia L. Cortes

Claudia’s practice is focused on the representation of managed care organizations (MCOs) and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). She has significant experience drafting dispositive motions, conducting depositions, and leading complex and voluminous discovery, including overseeing and coordinating large document reviews and overall discovery strategy. Claudia represents MCOs in a wide array of matters, including breach of contract, ERISA claims, Medicaid reimbursement, and a variety of state law claims. She also represents pharmacy benefits managers in MAC pricing litigation.

She has assisted clients in a range of litigation matters, including:

• Disputes regarding payment of Medicaid claims.
• Litigation involving medical necessity regarding radiation therapy, residential treatment, and services rendered in the neonatal intensive care unit.
• Actions by insured members and beneficiaries involving claim and preauthorization denials.
• ERISA health benefits litigation.
• Contract disputes involving in-network providers.
• Litigation and arbitration relating to services rendered by out-of-network providers.

Claudia has maintained an extensive pro bono practice, specifically focusing on prisoners’ rights and immigration matters. In 2016, Claudia was part of a team that secured a victory before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit that a 2008 U.S. Department of Justice report was admissible for its truth to prove certain Fourteenth Amendment prisoners’ rights claims.

While in law school, Claudia served as an executive articles editor for the Chicago-Kent Law Review and was a member of the Chicago-Kent Moot Court Honor Society. In 2014, Claudia served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Thomas M. Durkin, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.