A deal that would have allowed Boston-based Partners Healthcare to acquire South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Mass., and Hallmark Health System in Melrose, Mass., has been rejected by a Suffolk Superior Court Judge, according to the Boston Globe.
The settlement deal, which was entered into by Partners and former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley after five years of investigation, was widely criticized.
The judge's decision came three days after new Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy took a strong stance on the acquisitions and opposed the transactions in a three-page court filing.
With the settlement rejected, Partners can still pursue the acquisitions. However, any pursuit of the transactions would be under the threat of litigation, as Ms. Healy said in her court filing that she would file an antitrust lawsuit to block the deal if the settlement Partners entered into with Ms. Coakley was rejected.
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