Judge to Forum: Hand over the memos

YOUNGSTOWN

Forum Health was ordered by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to give MBIA Insurance redacted copies of the memorandums of understanding, “to the extent Forum has them,” negotiated between the health system’s unions and its potential buyer, Ardent Health Services.

Judge Kay Woods got fully involved Thursday in the discovery dispute between MBIA, which represents the bankrupt Forum’s major secured creditors, and the hospital system when the parties once again were unable to resolve the issues themselves.

When Thursday’s hearing began at 9:30 a.m., Judge Woods told the parties that if they could not agree on the scope of discovery, the “court will rule today. We’re not leaving here without a clear understanding of what is due in discovery.”

To that end, she recessed the hearing to give the parties a last chance to come to agreement on their own. “It’s your choice. We can go through them one-by-one on the record or you can work things out.”

However, when the hearing was reconvened at about 3 p.m., there remained a list of issues on which Judge Woods would rule.

For the complete story, read Friday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.