A federal judge in New Orleans indicated he will move quickly to resolve the legal battle between LCMC Health and the Federal Trade Commission over LCMC’s January purchase of three local hospitals operated by Tulane University, nola.com reports.
At the first court appearance in the case since dueling lawsuits were filed in mid-April, U.S. District Court Judge Lance Africk set a deadline of August 23 for attorneys on both sides to file written arguments laying out their case.
As a practical matter, that means there won’t be a trial or months of delays while attorneys line up witnesses to testify.
The hearing also clarified a significant issue for the local health system: The FTC will not challenge LCMC’s ability to move forward with plans to integrate the three hospitals into its health system while the case plays out in court.
The federal agency also suggested that LCMC maintain the assets of the three hospitals, but there was no ruling on that issue. Read more.
