Insights & News

Bartko’s Patrick M. Ryan Named Top 100 Lawyer

San Francisco, CA – Patrick M. Ryan—Bartko’s Co-Managing Partner, head of litigation, and Chair of its Antitrust and IP and Brand Protection groups, and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee—was selected by the California Daily Journal as one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California” for 2023.

Patrick M. Ryan and Benjamin K. Riley Named “Top 100 Lawyer” in California

San Francisco, CA – Patrick M. Ryan—head of Bartko law firm’s Litigation practice and Chair of its Antitrust and IP and Brand Protection groups, and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee—and Benjamin K. Riley—a principal in Bartko’s Litigation practice and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee—were both selected by the California Daily Journal as two of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California” for 2023.

Firm Data Breach Practice in the News

December 14, 2013- Legal newspaper The Daily Journal ran an article describing our role for health care providers in obtaining writ relief in defense of pending class actions with multi-million dollar exposure following lost or stolen patient medical data. View pdf copy of article. The team of Rob Bunzel, Michael Abraham, Simon Goodfellow and Zaneta Butscher have contributed in multiple cases to the firm’s success in this highly topical field.

ABA Antitrust Plaintiffs’ Roundtable Will Feature Insights from Ian Papendick

BartkoZankel appeared in the first hearing related to 11 coordinated class actions

BartkoZankel appeared in the first hearing related to 11 coordinated class actions brought against the firm’s health care provider client for alleged penalties following the theft of a password protected computer in October 2011. The cases raise novel issues regarding what is a release under the Confidentiality of Medical Records Act (CMIA) and the propriety of class treatment for CMIA claims. Robert Bunzel, Michael Abraham and Simon Goodfellow lead the BartkoZankel team. In re Sutter Medical Information Cases, Judicial Council Coordination No. 4698, Sacramento Superior Court.

Hospitals Score Another Massive Victory Against the Blues as Court Rejects Insurance Companies’ Second Attempt to Dismiss Healthcare Providers’ Antitrust Claims

San Francisco, CA – In a June 5, 2023 Order, only made available on the public docket late June 6, 2023, the Honorable Evelio Grillo of the Alameda Superior Court, in VHS Liquidating Trust, et al. v. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, et al., Case Number RG21106600, issued a comprehensive Order resoundingly rejecting the Defendant Blues’ second attempt to dismiss the Plaintiffs’ claims.

Meredith Vanderbilt Publishes Article in AHLA Health Law Weekly on FDA Drug Shortage Tracking

Restoring CMIA’s Intended Balance

California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA), Civil Code section 56 et seq., carefully balances obligations to handle and dispose of medical information in a manner preserving confidentiality with patients’ CMIA rights of action for nominal or actual damages. Disruption of this balance has recently been threatened by multiple class action lawsuits seeking to dictate privacy procedures and recover millions or, in one case, billions, of dollars from health care providers in response to the theft or loss of electronic databases. View a PDF of the article.

Use of AI In Employment

If your Company uses any automated tools such as Upwork or TurboHire in its hiring process, youshould be aware that New York City has established new requirements governing such practices,which are set forth in the Automated Employment Decision Tool Law (AEDTL).