Tenet Healthcare fended off a $4 billion hostile takeover bid last year in part by accusing Community Health Systems, its would-be acquirer, of bilking Medicare out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Almost exactly a year later, Tenet's lawyers at Latham & Watkins and Arnold & Porter have helped the company resolve nearly identical claims leveled by the Justice Department.

Last week a struggling software company called FirePond filed a class action suit against Google in the Eastern District of Texas, challenging its practice of selling ads against trademarked keywords. This is not, however, the David-versus-Goliath tale it might appear to be. Investigative reporting by IP Law & Business reporter Joe Mullin shows that FirePond CEO Audrey Spangenberg and her husband, Erich, are connected to a network of entities that have made more than $72 million through patent litigation.