Federal Trade Commission v. Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc.

133 S.Ct. 1003, 568 U.S. 216, 185 L.Ed.2d 43 (2013)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
F
From our private database of 46,200+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Federal Trade Commission v. Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc.

United States Supreme Court
133 S.Ct. 1003, 568 U.S. 216, 185 L.Ed.2d 43 (2013)

Facts

Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital (Memorial) and Palmyra Medical Center (Palmyra) were the only hospitals in Doughtery County, Georgia. Together, the two hospitals accounted for 86 percent of the market for acute hospital services in the area. In 2010, the owner of Memorial, Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc. (PPHS) (defendant), came up with a plan to purchase Palmyra. Under an amendment to the state constitution that was intended to increase access to affordable health care, substate government entities could establish local hospital authorities with the power to acquire, purchase, or lease hospitals and other health facilities. PPHS went to the Hospital Authority of Albany-Dougherty County (the Authority) (defendant) and proposed a plan in which the Authority would purchase Palmyra with PPHS funds and then lease Palmyra back to PPHS for $1 per year. The Authority agreed to the proposal, which effectively granted PPHS a monopoly in the market for hospital services in the area. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (plaintiff) brought a complaint against PPHS and the Authority, alleging antitrust violations. The Authority claimed immunity from antitrust liability under the state-action doctrine. The district court found for the Authority and PPHS. The FTC appealed the decision.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Sotomayor, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 791,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 791,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 791,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,200 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Antitrust
Healthcare Law

Key Terms