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AAMC Statement on Ruling in Resident Lawsuit

For Immediate Release

Press Release

Contact: Retha Sherrod
(202) 828-0975
rsherrod@aamc.org

Washington, D.C., February 12, 2004 - The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) released the following statement on yesterday's ruling by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in the resident anti-trust litigation (Jung et al. v. AAMC et al.):

"The AAMC is pleased that the Court dismissed the plaintiffs' claims against several defendants, thereby reducing the costs and disruptions that this litigation has imposed on institutions and organizations involved in the important exercise of training physicians and delivering health care. We are, of course, disappointed that the Court has permitted the case to continue against AAMC and various other defendants for the time being.

The Court's decision constitutes no judgment on the merits of the case. It is simply a ruling, at the very earliest stage of the legal proceedings, on the AAMC's motion to dismiss the lawsuit because it is based, in our view, on insufficient allegations of the association's participation in the anti-trust activity asserted by the plaintiffs.

A focus of the Court's decision is the AAMC's annual survey of resident stipends. AAMC conducts this survey each year in accordance with guidelines issued by the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. In denying AAMC's motion, the Court ruled that, if the plaintiffs' claims are true, an inference could be drawn that AAMC conducts the survey in order to facilitate and police the alleged conspiracy. We remain confident that the plaintiffs' allegations will not be proved true."

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.