FTC, Phoebe Case May be Moving Toward Settlement
Tuesday, June 25th, 2013
An order granting a request to certify a joint motion to withdraw the matter from adjudication concerning the Federal Trade Commission's opposition to the Hospital Authority of Albany-Dougherty County's purchase of the former Palmyra Medical Center indicates a settlement may be coming soon.
On June 10, a joint motion was filed to temporarily withdraw the matter from adjudication for 30 days "for the purpose of considering a proposed consent agreement."
This follows a stipulated preliminary injunction that was entered into by the U.S. Court for the Middle District of Georgia the previous week as a means to maintain the status quo and stop further integration of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and the former Palmyra, now known as Phoebe North.
The order, signed off on by Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell on June 11, it notes that a reasonable possibility of settlement existed in the matter involving the $195 million purchase in December 2011 of Phoebe North by the Hospital Authority.