Report: Lawyer says Guidant didn't breach deal with J&J
December 16, 2014 by Brad Perriello
A former outside lawyer who repped Guidant Corp. during the bidding war between Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson reportedly told a judge yesterday that Guidant was within its rights to provide due diligence to Abbott in connection with the Boston Scientific bid.
Johnson & Johnson is suing Boston Scientific for $7.2 billion, alleging that Guidant breached their 21.5 billion acquisition contract in providing the information to Abbott. But Guidant’s ex-outside counsel, Charles Mulaney of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, told Judge Richard Sullivan that Abbott was considered a “representative” of Boston Scientific under a confidentiality agreement, according to Law360. Read more
Ex-Abbott stent liaison alleges retaliation for compliance complaint
December 17, 2014 by Brad Perriello
A former medical liaison for Abbott Vascular is suing the company for allegedly firing her when she blew the whistle on off-label and pre-approval promotion of Abbott’s Xience stent and bioresorbable vascular scaffold.
Ebonia Elliott-Lewis was a regional science manager for Abbott Vascular, based in Boston and covering the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia, according to her lawsuit, which was filed August 12 but only unsealed Dec. 15 after federal prosecutors declined to join. Read more
Trial date set for Boston Scientific executive's accused killer
December 16, 2014 by Brad Perriello
Lyle ‘Ty’Hoffman
Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office
A Minnesota state court set a trial date for Lyle “Ty” Hoffman, who’s accused of killing Boston Scientific executive Kelly Phillips last August.
Hoffman and Phillips had a romantic relationship and were partners in a Minneapolis bar. But the relationship ended and Hoffman, who was managing the bar, was fired and evicted from Phillips’ home in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported. Hoffman, charged with 1 count of intentional 2nd-degree murder, pleaded not guilty, the newspaper reported. Read more
Analogic expects fines in BK Medical's Danish bribery beef
December 15, 2014 by Mark Hollmer
Analogic said it will likely face fines from the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, the Justice Dept. or both, resulting from a probe into an alleged scheme to bribe Danish distributors.
Penalties would come more than 2 years after the Peabody, Mass.-based imaging device maker 1st disclosed it was investigating its BK Medical subsidiary in the matter. Read more
SEC dings Bruker in $2.4m China bribery case
December 15, 2014 by Brad Perriello
The U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission said today that it agreed to settle a case against Bruker Corp. for $2.4 million, after an SEC probe found that the company failed to detect and prevent some $230,000 in payoffs to Chinese officials.
The securities watchdog charged Billerica, Mass.-based Bruker with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act “by providing non-business related travel and improper payments to various Chinese government officials in an effort to win business,” according to a press release. Read more
