11/20/2023 0 Comments Antech diagnostics lab in pheonix azRaphael Moore, general counsel for the Veterinary Information Network, an online community for the profession and parent of the VIN News Service, is very familiar with the legal risks incurred by veterinarians signing long-term exclusive contracts for lab services, having observed a number of VIN members struggle with them over the years. The attorney representing Antech in the case, Hyongsoon Kim, acknowledged a VIN News request for comment but said he was unable to contact Antech by publication time. The VIN News Service was unable to reach Patt for comment. However, the class claims were dismissed without prejudice, meaning another plaintiff with a similar complaint could bring a class action against Antech in the future. In Judge Josephine Staton's order dismissing the case, Patt's claim and Antech's counterclaim were dismissed with prejudice, meaning neither party may refile their complaint. Judging from the court record, certification did not occur before the case was settled. Patt had sought certification of her suit as a class action, owing to the widespread use by veterinarians of exclusive multiyear contracts. Both pitch long-term exclusive contracts to veterinary practices. Antech denied the allegations and countersued Patt and Little Critters for contract breach.Īntech, based in Southern California, is one of two companies that dominate the private veterinary diagnostic reference lab sector in the United States and beyond the other is Idexx. District Court for the Central District of California, alleged that Antech, by pressing veterinarians into exclusive contracts, engages in monopolistic behavior in violation of federal antitrust law and state law governing business practices. She sued to be freed from the agreement and sought not to have to repay an incentive loan. Despite her lost trust, Antech would not release her from the contract, according to the suit. However, about five months into the contract, Patt began to doubt the validity of results she received from the lab for a variety of patients, including dogs, reptiles and a bird. The contract committed her to purchasing $24,000 in diagnostic services from Antech each year, for a total of $144,000. The 6-year agreement Patt signed in 2017 with Antech specified that the contract would automatically renew for 24 months unless the company received at least one year's advance notice. Not only are the contracts difficult to end midterm, they might be tricky to end at all. Most have resulted in confidential settlements or court outcomes in Antech's favor. Over the past decade, Antech has sued dozens of veterinarians for attempting to exit their respective contracts early. Patt's complaint was notable in that she had sought to cancel her contract because she lost confidence in the accuracy of the lab results. * Antech vigorously enforces its contracts with veterinary practices that attempt to end them early. Jill Patt against Antech Diagnostic Laboratories, one of the two largest veterinary reference laboratories in the world. * Questions raised in an antitrust legal complaint that alleged long-term exclusive contracts for veterinary diagnostic services are illegal will go unaddressed because the case settled confidentially. The agreements often include incentives such as expensive diagnostic equipment for which practices receive a loan that is forgiven when they fulfill the terms of the contract. Patt, an independent practitioner in Arizona, confronted Antech over the legality of exclusive multiyear contracts that it routinely persuades veterinary clinic owners to accept in return for presumably favorable pricing. Jill Patt and her practice, Little Critters Veterinary Hospital, was noteworthy - some might say daring or audacious - in taking on Antech Diagnostic Laboratories, which is owned by Mars Inc., a global giant in veterinary and pet-related business. The case ended this month in a confidential settlement. Books & VINcyclopedia of Diseases (Formerly Associate)Ī provocative legal case in which a veterinarian alleged that one of the largest veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the world engages in monopolistic behavior by pressing veterinarians into lengthy exclusive contracts while, at the same time, producing unreliable results, won't go to trial.VINcyclopedia of Diseases (Formerly Associate).
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