CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A Cook County judge on Tuesday ruled that the new owners of Westlake Hospital are in contempt for not maintaining services at the facility they hope to close.
Staffers and opponents of the hospital closing returned to court a week after Cook County Judge Eve Reilly granted them a temporary restraining order (TRO) that ordered Pipeline Health not to cut services or lay off employees at the Melrose Park hospital.
Cook County Circuit Judge Moshe Jacobius said the owner must restore services by Thursday or will be fined $200,000 a day, according to the Associated Press.
Attorney for Pipeline Health say the cuts they made were before the temporary restraining order was granted, and they haven't done any since then.
"The Village of Melrose Park has fought Pipeline's plans to close Westlake Hospital at every turn," Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico said in a prepared statement. "From the outset, when they purchased the hospital and promised to keep it open for at least two years, Eric Whitaker and Pipeline have lied to our community. They thought they could abuse us and we would just roll over. It's clear again today that the people of Melrose Park wont be pushed around."