The conflict between two Pittsburgh-based providers continues, as West Penn Allegheny Health System made a court filing saying UPMC is fishing for information to unravel a pending merger between West Penn and Highmark, an insurer, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.
West Penn's claims come days after UPMC filed a motion saying the health system was not cooperating with a discovery request. UPMC said it had asked West Penn for documents and depositions and that the system had refused to comply.
The discovery request stems from 2009, when West Penn sued UPMC and Highmark for allegedly colluding to stunt competition in the region. When Highmark made plans to acquire West Penn, the insurer was dropped from the suit. West Penn now wants to target only UPMC in the suit, but a judge gave UPMC the right to conduct limited discovery before he provides a ruling on that request to drop UPMC.
Now West Penn lawyers are saying UPMC's requests for 14 depositions and other documents "strain credulity…and primarily are designed to harass" its rival and harm its merger plans, according to the report.
UPMC said the request for information and depositions are only in an effort to determine whether West Penn's lawsuit against the system is still in good faith.
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West Penn's claims come days after UPMC filed a motion saying the health system was not cooperating with a discovery request. UPMC said it had asked West Penn for documents and depositions and that the system had refused to comply.
The discovery request stems from 2009, when West Penn sued UPMC and Highmark for allegedly colluding to stunt competition in the region. When Highmark made plans to acquire West Penn, the insurer was dropped from the suit. West Penn now wants to target only UPMC in the suit, but a judge gave UPMC the right to conduct limited discovery before he provides a ruling on that request to drop UPMC.
Now West Penn lawyers are saying UPMC's requests for 14 depositions and other documents "strain credulity…and primarily are designed to harass" its rival and harm its merger plans, according to the report.
UPMC said the request for information and depositions are only in an effort to determine whether West Penn's lawsuit against the system is still in good faith.
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