Hofstader et al v. Emergency Physician Services, P.S., et al. Hofstader et al v. Emergency Physician Services, P.S., et al.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
Case No. 2:18-cv-00062-SMJ
If you visited an emergency department at a Providence affiliated hospital in Washington after February 20, 2014, your rights may be affected by a class action settlement.
Background of the Litigation
On February 20, 2018, Plaintiff Nathan Hofstader filed this Class Action Complaint against Providence Health & Services Washington (“PHS-WA”) and Providence Health & Services (“PHS”) and their affiliated hospitals[1] (collectively, “Providence”), alleging that Providence failed to give him adequate notice of the availability of charity care during the emergency department intake process, in violation of the Washington Consumer Protection Act (“CPA”), RW 19.86 et seq. On June 17, 2018, Plaintiff filed the First Amended Class Action Complaint, naming Richard Cerenzia as a plaintiff and asserting the same claims on both their behalves and that of a putative nationwide class of emergency department patients. The Honorable Salvador Mendoza, Jr., Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, presides over this case.
Providence denies all allegations of wrongdoing in the lawsuit. Providence maintains that it fully complied with Washington law by notifying hospital patients about the availability of financial assistance, evaluating patients for eligibility for financial assistance, and granting financial assistance. Providence believes its practices and policies provide a defense to any liability, and as part of the proposed settlement, Providence does not admit to any wrongdoing and denies any liability and the allegations against it. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington has not issued any decision in this case about who is correct.
The Settlement
The Parties have reached an agreement to settle the Class Action Complaint, which is subject to final approval by the Court. The Final Approval Hearing will be held on February 9, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom of the United States District Court for the Eastern Distric20 West Riverside Ave., Spokane, WA 99201330 West Broadway, San Diego, California 92101, before the Honorable Salvador Mendoza, Jr., Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
[1] The affiliated hospitals are Providence Centralia Hospital, Providence Holy Family Hospital, Providence Mount Carmel Hospital, Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children’s Hospital, Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital, Providence St. Mary Medical Center, Providence St. Peter Hospital Providence Holy Family Hospital, Sacred Heart Medical Center, and Kadlec Medical Center.
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