Hearing officer to consider Prospect Medical bankruptcy filings in stay motion; sets Jan. 31 deadline for briefs

Counsel in the administrative hearing over Wethersfield’s emergency medical services told the hearing officer that Prospect Medical Holdings — identified in filings as a 50% owner of Aetna Ambulance Service Inc. — had filed for voluntary bankruptcy in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. That filing prompted counsel for WEMSA to move to stay or dismiss proceedings while parties seek guidance from the bankruptcy trustee and the attorney general’s office.

The hearing officer declined to halt the hearing immediately but said the bankruptcy filings would be considered as part of a separate motion for stay. “I'll consider those documents as part of the motion for stay, but I'm not going to admit them as exhibits in this matter,” the officer said, reserving legal analysis for the motion rather than the evidentiary hearing. Counsel for the offering party sought permission to…