Ralph de la Torre, the CEO of the now-bankrupt Steward Health Care System, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) following his contempt of Congress charges, Ars Technica reports.
De la Torre, whose company once operated more than 30 hospitals across eight states, is seeking to challenge the Senate panel’s unanimous decision to hold him in contempt after he failed to comply with a subpoena to testify on the mismanagement of his hospital system.
The committee, chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), issued the subpoena in July, aiming to question de la Torre about the collapse of his hospital network, which filed for bankruptcy in May. Lawmakers have accused de la Torre and Steward executives of extracting millions in personal profits while leaving hospitals financially crippled. In some cases, the financial distress led to drastic consequences for patient care, including 15 preventable deaths and thousands of other patients placed in “immediate peril.”
Steward’s mismanagement also triggered a wave of layoffs among health care workers and forced the closure of essential services in various communities. Some hospitals ran out of basic supplies, and nurses described the working conditions as dire. A Louisiana lawmaker who investigated one of the failing hospitals labeled Steward executives “health care terrorists.”
In his lawsuit, de la Torre claims that the Senate panel violated his constitutional rights, accusing the committee of using the hearing as a platform to publicly “humiliate” him. He initially agreed to testify but backed out, citing a court order related to Steward’s bankruptcy case and invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Despite his arguments, the Senate moved forward with contempt charges, which de la Torre is now seeking to have overturned.
Legal experts, however, have expressed skepticism over the lawsuit’s chances. Stan M. Brand, a lawyer experienced in contempt of Congress cases, described the lawsuit as a “Hail Mary play,” noting that similar challenges to congressional subpoenas have consistently failed in court.
