FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Dec. 9, 2015
Contact: Jennifer Sykes
Phone: (913) 669-2872
Kansas City, MO — The Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri, issued the final judgment in the ongoing litigation between the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (HCF) and the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) and its affiliate, HM Acquisition LLC.
The judgment follows the Court’s denial of HCA’s post-trial motions and granting HCF’s motion for award of pre-judgment interest.
The judgment is the Circuit Court’s final ruling on whether HCA fulfilled its commitments to make the $450 million in capital improvements to the hospitals it purchased from Health Midwest in 2003.
The filing of the judgment will trigger HCA’s deadline to file an appeal with the Missouri Court of Appeals, which HCA has announced it will do. Once the Court of Appeals rules, either party may request the Missouri Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals’ decision. If both of those Courts consider the appeals, a final ruling would likely take two more years. HCF will not receive any money until the appeals process is complete. However, interest on the judgment will continue to accrue during the appeals process.
“When the HCF Board of Directors began this lawsuit, our goal was to determine whether or not HCA had complied with its obligations to the people of Greater Kansas City in connection with the Health Midwest purchase,” said HCF Board Chairman Kenneth E. Southwick, Ed.D.
“After today’s final judgment, we are confident we have met that goal. And while we won’t receive any of these dollars until the appeals process is complete, the Foundation remains dedicated to serving the vulnerable people in our service area.”
For more specific information about the judgment, media may contact Paul Seyferth at the law firm of Seyferth Blumenthal and Harris at 816-756-0700.