Aya Healthcare Statement Regarding AMN's Practices and Recent Court Ruling

SAN DIEGO, June 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aya Healthcare has been successful in preventing AMN Healthcare from using unlawful contractual restraints to limit employee mobility in the travel nurse industry. AMN originally sued Aya and our employees in an attempt to prevent AMN employees from joining Aya. AMN's strong-arm tactics did not work.

The California state action resulted in a finding that AMN's suit against Aya and its employees was  "objectively baseless" and litigated "in bad faith" to disrupt a competitor's operations. The court also took note of a prior lawsuit that AMN had litigated against a different competitor, alleging the same legal wrongs against it. Those claims were likewise dismissed as a matter of law. The court's decision in AMN v. Aya was upheld by the California Court of Appeal and resulted in a permanent injunction forcing AMN to cease its use of unlawful contractual restraints with its employees. That injunction covers all business relationships in California and all conduct that otherwise substantially affects California commerce.

The California courts unequivocally ruled that some AMN business practices were unlawful and forced AMN to change them. We believe that these business practices and related practices were not only unlawful but also a violation of antitrust law and filed an action in federal court to address this issue.

Aya Healthcare's federal case against AMN involves complicated and evolving antitrust issues. We respectfully believe that the District Court's recent ruling was erroneously decided and raises important issues of federal antitrust law that require clarification and application to Aya's federal antitrust claims against AMN. We therefore plan to appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The recent District Court decision does not reverse the California court rulings, which establish that AMN used unlawful contractual restraints with its employees, nor does it lift the injunction imposed on AMN by the California courts.

About Aya Healthcare

Aya Healthcare is reimagining healthcare staffing and workforce solutions in the United States. We are the largest privately held travel nurse and workforce solutions provider and deliver solutions for all aspects of healthcare staffing including locums, allied health and just-in-time local staff. The company continues to experience rapid growth as it reshapes the healthcare workforce landscape through its transformative use of technology including its cloud-based MSP solution and real-time Shifts app for per diem clinicians. Aya's platform provides access to one of the largest sources of contract clinicians in the country, which improves efficiency, increases quality and reduces costs for healthcare systems. To learn more about Aya Healthcare, visit www.ayahealthcare.com.

Media Contact:
Lisa Park
Public Relations Strategist
Aya Healthcare
[email protected]
408.821.9255

SOURCE Aya Healthcare