Several news organizations have filed a motion to keep proceedings open to the public in an antitrust lawsuit between the Federal Trade Commission and two hospitals in Idaho, according to an Idaho Statesman report.
The Federal Trade Commission and Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden joined Boise-based Saint Alphonsus Health System's lawsuit against St. Luke's Health System, also in Boise, which aims to block St. Luke's acquisition of a 44-physician medical group. The FTC claims the transaction left the combined entity with nearly 60 percent market share of primary care physicians in Nampa, Idaho, which is the state's second-largest city.
The case went to trial last week, but U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued a pretrial order that closes public access to the courtroom for some testimony, purportedly to protect the trade secrets of the parties involved.
The Idaho Statesman, The Times-News in Twin Falls, The Associated Press, the Idaho Press-Tribune and the Idaho Press Club filed the motion to intervene and keep proceedings open to the public, according to the report.
The attorney for the news organizations, Charles Brown, said in court documents the public has a right to know what is going on behind closed courtroom doors in part because Idaho residents will be impacted by the outcome of the case, according to the report.
More Articles on St. Luke's, St. Alphonsus and the FTC:
Legal Battle Between St. Luke's and Saint Alphonsus Over Physician Acquisition to Begin
FTC Sues St. Luke's Health in Idaho Over Physician Group Acquisition
St. Alphonsus in Idaho Files Antitrust Suit Against St. Luke's Over Practice Acquisition