Jury Finds City Liable on Ambulance Service
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The city must pay $165,000 to a company that lost business when the Fire Department took over emergency ambulance services two years ago, a jury has ruled.
The Superior Court jury last week found that the city had breached an informal contract with Tustin-based Medix Ambulance Service Inc.
Medix and another private company, Santa Ana-based CareLine California, had split all of the city’s ambulance services for years when the Fire Department proposed the city takeover. The department said the change would increase response times and raise revenues.
CareLine dropped its lawsuit when a Superior Court judge refused to block the city’s new program.
“If everything goes the way it should, the city will have to pay damages going back to October, 1995, at about $1,000 per day,” said Medix attorney Michael Leight.
The company also will seek to overturn the decision, allowing the city’s program to go forward.
Assistant City Attorney Wayne Winthers said the city has not decided whether to appeal the jury verdict.
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