An agreement has been reached between the University of Louisville and Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell that will end lawsuits he filed over hospital merger documents.O’Connell went to court seeking to force the university and U of L Hospital to turn over financial and other records related to the hospital’s pending merger with two other health care companies.O’Connell argued that the records should be made public because they involve taxpayer funds. U of L says the documents were not turned over in an Open Records request because they’re protected under Kentucky law.Under the agreement signed today, U of L will turn over some of the records O’Connell sought and they’ll soon be available for public viewing."I think these are the operative important documents that the parties are relying upon. These are the documents that will be sent to the attorney general to review and the governor, some of these documents he has to consider and sign. I’m confident they’ve provided me with what I’ve asked for," O'Connell said.The merger agreement involving U of L Hospital, Catholic Health Initiatives and Jewish Hospital and St. Mary's HealthCare, is subject to approval by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.
