Memorial Hospital sues former Stone County hospital over $454K for new AC units
.jpg "Memorial Health System is suing Wiggins Acute Care Hospital LLC. over payment for new air conditioning systems put in at Stone County Hospital.")
Memorial Hospital at Gulfport has filed suit against the former Stone County hospital and a medical clinic for over $450,000 in unpaid building repairs.
In a lawsuit filed in Harrison County Circuit Court this week, Memorial says it entered into a 2019 medical operations lease with Stone County Hospital and Stone County Family Medical Clinic, both on East Central Avenue in Wiggins. Both are part of a limited liability corporation known as Wiggins Acute Care Hospital.
Memorial says the lease required the Stone County entities to pay for building repairs over $10,000. “In particular ... the lease limits Memorial’s financial liability for the care of the premises during the first two years” of the agreement, the suit said.
In August 2020, Memorial learned the Stone County hospital needed repairs to its heating and air conditioning systems. The two hospitals spoke about the repairs for years, the suit says, but Stone County has yet to reimburse Memorial for the cost, $453,127.
Memorial is asking a judge to order Wiggins Acute Care to pay up. Memorial also seeks attorney’s fees, interest and punitive damages.
A lawsuit represents only one side of a legal argument. As of Thursday, no response had been filed to Memorial’s suit.
Memorial Hospital is jointly owned by the city of Gulfport and Harrison County. In late 2019, Memorial announced that the former Stone County Hospital and its 50 beds would begin operating as Memorial Hospital at Stone County.
This story was originally published April 21, 2023 at 6:00 AM.