Current:Home > ContactSteward CEO says he won’t comply with Senate subpoena on hospital closings -MoneyStream
Steward CEO says he won’t comply with Senate subpoena on hospital closings
View
Date:2025-04-21 22:55:14
BOSTON (AP) — Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre won’t comply with a subpoena to appear before a U.S. Senate committee that is investigating the hospital company’s bankruptcy, his lawyers said Wednesday.
De la Torre needs to remain silent to respect an ongoing hospital reorganization and settlement effort, his lawyers said in a letter to Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. A federal court order prohibits de la Torre from discussing anything during mediation, the lawyers said.
The Dallas-based Steward, which operated about 30 hospitals nationwide, including more than a half-dozen in Massachusetts, declared bankruptcy earlier this year. It has been trying to sell its hospitals in Massachusetts, but received inadequate bids for two of them: Carney Hospital in Boston and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in the town of Ayer, both of which closed last weekend.
A federal bankruptcy court on Wednesday approved the sale of Steward’s other hospitals in Massachusetts.
Lawyers for de la Torre said the U.S. Senate committee is seeking to turn the hearing into “a pseudo-criminal proceeding in which they use the time, not to gather facts, but to convict Dr. de la Torre in the eyes of public opinion.”
“It is not within this Committee’s purview to make predeterminations of alleged criminal misconduct under the auspices of an examination into Steward’s bankruptcy proceedings, and the fact that its Members have already done so smacks of a veiled attempt to sidestep Dr. de la Torre’s constitutional rights,” the letter said.
De la Torre didn’t rule out testifying before the committee at a later date.
Sanders said in a statement that he’ll be working with other members of the panel to determine the best way to press de la Torre for answers.
“Let me be clear: We will not accept this postponement. Congress will hold Dr. de la Torre accountable for his greed and for the damage he has caused to hospitals and patients throughout America,” Sanders said. “This Committee intends to move forward aggressively to compel Dr. de la Torre to testify to the gross mismanagement of Steward Health Care.”
Massachusetts U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, both Democrats, called de la Torre’s refusal to appear before the committee next Thursday outrageous.
The committee’s options include holding de la Torre in criminal contempt, which could result in a trial and jail time; or civil contempt, which would result in fines until he appears. Both would require a Senate vote.
Markey and Warren said de la Torre owes the public and Congress answers and must be held in contempt if he fails to appear before the committee.
“He got rich as private equity and real estate vultures picked apart, and drove into bankruptcy, hospitals that employed thousands of health care workers who served communities in Massachusetts and across the country,” the two said in a joint statement.
“De la Torre used hospitals as his personal piggy bank and lived in luxury while gutting Steward hospitals,” they added.
De la Torre also refused invitations to testify at a Boston field hearing earlier this year chaired by Markey.
Sanders has said de la Torre became obscenely wealthy by loading up hospitals from Massachusetts to Arizona with billions of dollars in debt and selling the land underneath the hospitals to real estate executives who charged unsustainably high rents.
veryGood! (83)
Related
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Caitlin Clark, Iowa return to Final Four. Have the Hawkeyes won the national championship?
- New rule strengthening federal job protections could counter Trump promises to remake the government
- Meghan McCain slams off-Broadway stage play about late dad John McCain: 'This is trash'
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- As Biden Pushes For Clean Factories, a New ‘How-To’ Guide Offers a Path Forward
- Did Texas 'go too far' with SB4 border bill? Appeals court weighs case; injunction holds.
- Earthquake in Taiwan blamed for at least 9 deaths as buildings and roads seriously damaged
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- What is ghee and why has it become so popular?
Ranking
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- MLB Misery Index: Winless New York Mets and Miami Marlins endure ugly opening week
- Caitlin Clark of Iowa is the AP Player of the Year in women’s hoops for the 2nd straight season
- Snag This $199 Above Ground Pool for Just $88 & Achieve the Summer of Your Dreams
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Police say use of racial slur clearly audible as they investigate racist incidents toward Utah team
- Kiss sells catalog, brand name and IP. Gene Simmons assures fans it is a ‘collaboration’
- The Best White Sneakers That Go With Everything (And That Are Anything But Basic)
Recommendation
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
Zoe Saldaña and Husband Marco Perego Use This Code Word for Sex at Home
Olivia Colman finds cursing 'so helpful,' but her kids can't swear until they're 18
Police shoot Indiana man they say fired at officers
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
New Jersey’s 3 nuclear power plants seek to extend licenses for another 20 years
Athletics announce plans to play the next 3 seasons in minor league park near Sacramento
Caitlin Clark, Iowa return to Final Four. Have the Hawkeyes won the national championship?