A $120 million settlement has been reached in an antitrust class action lawsuit against Massachusetts-based Momenta Pharmaceutical and its New Jersey-based distributor Sandoz Inc., the Nashville Post reports. The governing body of Nashville General Hospital led the suit which alleged that from 2011 to 2015, Momenta and Sandoz conspired to monopolize the sale of generic treatment enoxaparin, known by its brand name Lovenox. The settlement will pay hospitals, insurers and companies that paid for their employees’ health care costs, as well as uninsured patients in Tennessee and 29 other jurisdictions who paid for the drug. It has not yet been determined how much Nashville General will receive.

Rep. Martin Daniel, R-Knoxville, has asked the state comptroller office to audit the state’s healthcare plan that is administered by BlueCross Blueshield of Tennessee and Cigna, the Nashville Post reports. The request came last week, just days after both insurance companies filed lawsuits against the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, claiming documents Martin had requested were confidential trade secrets. The comptroller’s office said it has never before conducted an audit of this extent on the state health plan and is determining whether they will act on the request.

State gun laws currently allow for one type of handgun permit, but a second option will be available beginning Jan. 1, 2020, WSMV reports. The original permit allows gun owners to carry a firearm open and concealed on their person. That law will not change, but a new option called the “concealed only handgun permit” will be added for those who wish to carry a concealed weapon only. The new permit comes with a $35 fee and requires a 90-minute training course with no hands-on component.

President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill that will raise the federal legal age for purchasing tobacco from 18 to 21, the Wall Street Journal reports. The new law is part of a $1.4 trillion spending package that will go into effect summer of 2020. In addition to traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars, e-cigarettes and vaping cartridges will also be encompassed in the law. Twenty states have already increased the legal age for buying tobacco products to 21.

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closed tomorrow and Thursday in observation of the Christmas holiday. There will be no TBA Today issues published on those days. The office will re-open on Friday at 8 a.m.

The final days of this year's TBA year-end CLE Blast will be Monday and Tuesday, so you can end 2019 on a High Note in Music City. Take as many or as few hours as you need! There is programming in three rooms so you have your choice of courses, all for live credit. Many are certified for dual credit. We’ll be here from 7 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. on Dec. 30 and from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 31. No advance registration required.

The TBA announced today that 32 attorneys from across the state have been selected for its 2020 Leadership Law program. Now in its 17th year, Leadership Law is designed to equip Tennessee lawyers with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities. The class will meet for its first session in January, and then spend the next six months learning about leadership in the legal profession, issues in the courts, policymaking in state government and the importance of community service. Learn more about the program.

Freshman basketball star James Wiseman announced today that he has officially withdrawn from the University of Memphis and will immediately begin preparing for the NBA draft, the Commercial Appeal reports. Last month, the NCAA deemed Wiseman ineligible to play based on "recruiting violations." Wiseman filed suit for a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, but later dropped the suit and agreed to sit out the games. Today, Wiseman posted on his Instagram page that playing in the NBA has always been his dream. 

Gov. Bill Lee’s Criminal Justice Investment Task Force last week made public its recommendations for the upcoming legislative sessions, TNJ: On the Hill reports. Lee assembled the group in March to examine the challenges in the state’s criminal justice system. The task force released 23 recommendations aimed at improving responses to those with behavioral health needs, equalizing treatment of those in local jails and state prison, tailoring responses to different offenses, improving community supervision and minimizing barriers to successful reentry. The interim report and data presentation used to guide the work of the task force can be found here.

West Tennessee Legal Services will hold a legal clinic at the Regional Inter-Faith Association (RIFA) Soup Kitchen on Dec. 24 from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. RIFA is located at 133 Airways Blvd., Jackson 38301. Call 800-372-8346 for more information.