UCSF/STANFORD MERGER: JUDGE ORDERS DISCLOSURE OF DOCUMENTS
A judge ruled yesterday that the University of CaliforniaThis is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
must turn over to the court confidential documents related to the
proposed merger of the University of California at San Francisco
(UCSF) and Stanford University medical centers. However, the
judge denied a request by labor unions for a temporary
restraining order to block a vote by the University of California
regents scheduled for today in which they are expected to give
final approval to the merger. James Eggleston, an attorney
representing the unions that filed the request for the
restraining order, said, "I think this is an important step
toward the disclosure of the truth. If it is such a good deal
for the taxpayers, it's hard to believe they would keep it
secret" (Chao, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER, 11/15).
THE REEQUEST: Judge William Cahill ordered the university to
turn over to him by November 25 a total of 74 documents,
including "a business plan, financial documents, fiscal
projections and section of the report ... that concluded the
merger was a sound business decision." The judge "indicated that
he was prepared to rule on whether the documents should remain
privileged shortly after he receives them." An attorney for the
regents said the order was "routine." In August, "Stanford
President Gerhard Caspar threatened to pull out of the deal ...
if the regents insisted that the merged hospital operations be
anything other than private" (Russell, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE,
11/15).