BREAKING: Decision issued

Judge blocks ad info

By David Baker
Posted Friday April 5, 2013
215  words

Samaritan Hospital will not have to reveal how much it has spent on advertising.  That’s the ruling of the judge in the hospital’s lawsuit against this blog’s sister web page, www.northeasthealthclaims.com

An entry posted overnight on the court system’s web page says Acting Supreme Court Justice Andrew G. Ceresia has denied a motion to compel disclosure of the information. The decision also grants the hospital’s cross-motion for a protective order to keep the information secret.

The decision is Ceresia’s third in this case;  in June he denied a motion to recuse himself because of his prior employment with a law firm that represented Samaritan Hospital, instead granting a formal request by the hospital that he remain on the case.  In another decision, he dismissed a counterclaim for medical records the hospital had allegedly withheld in an earlier wrongful-death lawsuit.

After the request for the ad info was served, Samaritan Hospital dropped most of its claims.  But it still wants an injunction prohibiting the use of the web address and its legal fees.

As reported here yesterday, what is listed as a “preliminary” conference is scheduled for May 15.

The lawsuit was filed in July of 2011 without any prior contact from the hospital or its lawyers.

Further details on the latest decision will be posted here once it is received.

www.northeasthealthclaims.com

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