Louisiana Hospital Denied Opportunity to Expand Antitrust Case

A Louisiana hospital leading a monopolization lawsuit against a regional rival can’t add allegations of more recent anti-competitive conduct to the long-running case, a federal judge ruled.

“This amendment would complicate an already-complex case,” Judge Elizabeth E. Foote wrote Thursday. “This does not promote judicial economy.”

The antitrust suit targets the Willis-Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport, La. It was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by BRFHH Shreveport LLC—which in 2013 took over University Health Shreveport from Louisiana State University—and insurer Vantage Health Plan Inc.

The suit accuses the health care chain of gobbling ...