Steward Health Care files a lawsuit against a US Senate panel over contempt resolution

BOSTON — CEO of Steward Healthcare Ralph de la Torre filed a lawsuit against a U.S. Senate committee on Monday continued contempt against him for not appearing before the panel despite having been served with a summons.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, named nearly all members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of the committee that investigated Steward’s bankruptcy.

The lawsuit alleges that lawmakers unlawfully violated De la Torre’s constitutional rights.

She claims that committee members are trying to force de la Torre to answer questions about Steward’s bankruptcy, undertake “a concerted effort to bring Dr. to punish de la Torre for invoking his Fifth Amendment right not to be “coerced.” . . to be a witness against himself. ”

De la Torre asks the court to declare that all actions related to the execution of the subpoena are invalid and unconstitutional – including the committee’s September 19 vote that approved the criminal contempt resolution and its decision to reject the resolution for to be submitted to the full Senate. a voice.

The Senate approved the resolution last week.

“No one can be forced to testify if he exercises this right under these circumstances. The Constitution also does not permit Congress to punish and intimidate him, or any other American, for exercising these rights,” William “Bill” Burck, an attorney for de la Torre, said in a written statement.

The trial comes a day before de la Torre resign as CEO of Steward.

De la Torre has overseen Steward’s network of about 30 hospitals across the country. The Texas-based company difficult recent history has caught the attention of elected officials in New England, where some of the hospitals are located.

A spokesperson for de la Torre said Saturday that he has “amicably parted ways with Steward on mutually acceptable terms” and “will remain a tireless advocate for improving reimbursement rates for the underserved patient population.”

Sanders said earlier this month that Congress “will do that.” keep Dr. de la Torre responsible for his greed and for the damage he has caused to hospitals and patients across America.”

Steward has closed pediatric wards in Massachusetts and Louisiana, shuttered neonatal units in Florida and Texas and eliminated maternity care at a Florida hospital.

Democratic Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts said that Steward, under the leadership of De la Torre and his companies, has spent the past decade “looting hospitals across the country for profit, and growing rich through their greedy schemes.”

Alexander Merton, an attorney for de la Torre, has said the fault lies instead with “the systemic flaws in Massachusetts’ health care system” and that the commission sought to portray de la Torre as a criminal scapegoat. Merton has also said that de la Torre would agree to testify at a later date.

On Friday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced that her administration had formally seized a hospital through eminent domain to keep it open and transfer it to a new owner. St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston was part of a group run by Steward. Operations will be transferred to Boston Medical Center.

Two other Steward-operated hospitals in Massachusetts were forced to close after failing to find qualified buyers during the bankruptcy process.