SJC Affirms $10 Million Judgment in Breach of Contract Lawsuit

April 29, 2020

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of Hemenway & Barnes’ client, cancer researcher Lynn Hlatky, in a breach of contract lawsuit against Steward Health Care System LLC and affirmed a $10 million judgment in the matter of Hlatky v. Steward Health Care System LLC.

Hlatky sued Steward after it withdrew its contracted institutional support for her grant-funded cancer program, resulting ultimately in the loss of decades of Hlatky's cancer research, along with the destruction of the esteemed multi-million dollar research program she had built. A Suffolk Superior Court judgment awarded Hlatky $10.2 million. Joseph L. Bierwirth, Ryan P. McManus and M. Patrick Moore Jr. represented Hlatky in defending that judgment on appeal before the SJC.

Hlatky commented that she is, “very pleased with the outcome of this litigation, and is looking forward to getting back to her science and furthering her life’s work in cancer research.”

Read the SJC decision

Watch Joseph Bierwirth’s argument at the SJC

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