Ninth Circuit Strikes California Dialysis Law in Provider Win

A California law regulating the relationship between kidney dialysis clinics and charitable organizations that assist patients was largely struck down by a federal appeals court on Tuesday.

A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that most provisions of the law, known as AB 290, violate the First Amendment by burdening how dialysis providers can contribute to charities.

The ruling is a win for the country’s largest dialysis treatment providers, DaVita Inc. and Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc., which alleged that the law imposes burdensome and punitive regulations on providers and patients.

AB ...