Further action in the ongoing legal battle between Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System and Walker County has been put on hold while the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals considers the question of jurisdiction, according to The Chattanoogan.
Last month, lawyers for WalkerCounty filed a jurisdictional statement in the case. WalkerCounty claims the district court lacked jurisdiction in the case due to a 1976 statute that established the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority to perform a governmental function by operating ErlangerHospital. The filing also asked that the current appeal be dismissed, according to the article.
A federal district judge previously ordered WalkerCounty to pay Erlanger $8.7 million in August in a lawsuit over a $20 million loan the health system granted to a Georgia hospital in 2011.