Texas Lawmakers Lose Immunity Bid in Ambulance Contract Dispute

Qualified immunity doesn’t bar an ambulance services provider from suing the mayor and city commissioners of Pharr, Texas, for violating federal antitrust law by awarding an exclusive emergency services contract to a competitor, the Fifth Circuit said Monday.

The individual lawmakers weren’t entitled to this form of immunity because Med Care Emergency Medical Services Inc. complained solely about legislative actions—the defendants’ participation in closed-door meetings about resolutions and their subsequent votes—the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said in an unpublished opinion.

Legislative actions are subject to absolute immunity, the court said. Because qualified immunity didn’t apply, the ...