Federal judge dismisses UPMC case against Pa. attorney general

PITTSBURGH — A federal judge late Wednesday dismissed UPMC's lawsuit against Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed after Shapiro attempted to extend the UPMC-Highmark consent decree.

U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III of the Middle District of Pennsylvania in a 31-page decision granted Shapiro's motion to dismiss the case and also dismissed the initial complaint by UPMC as well as motions to intervene, including one by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.

“In response to our lawsuit to protect Western PA’ns healthcare, @UPMC filed legal actions to intimidate our Office,” Shapiro tweeted in reaction. “We didn’t back down, we weren’t intimidated, and just now a federal judge dismissed their suit.”

The decision is the second against UPMC by a federal judge in as many weeks in cases related to Shapiro's February announcement he would seek Commonwealth Court approval to modify and extend the consent decree, which is set to run out June 30. A federal judge in Alabama denied UPMC's effort to intervene in a long-running antitrust lawsuit against the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

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