Plaintiff's Counsel Reports Progress in Patient's Antitrust Suit Against U.S. Anesthesia Partners While FTC Restarts Related Case

HOUSTON, Dec. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A federal judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas has issued a significant ruling in the antitrust class action challenging U.S. Anesthesia Partners' ("USAP") alleged monopolization of the Texas hospital-only anesthesia services market. In a detailed 17-page order, the court denied USAP's motion to dismiss, allowing the case to advance. The claims against USAP will now proceed to discovery.

The court held that the plaintiff, on behalf of a proposed class of patients, plausibly alleged that USAP "exploited its leverage" in the market through an acquisition and consolidation strategy that artificially inflated prices and harmed patients statewide.

Plaintiff and the proposed class are represented by Barrett Reasoner, Brice Wilkinson and Michael Davis of Gibbs & Bruns LLP, alongside Kellie Lerner, Keagan Potts and Harrison McAvoy of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP; Kimberly A. Justice and Robert J. Wozniak of Freed Kanner London & Millen LLP; and Justin S. Nematzadeh of Nematzadeh PLLC.

As alleged, USAP's strategy involved acquiring anesthesia groups across Texas, raising prices, and leveraging its expanding market share in negotiations with insurers. The court noted that these allegations, if proven, describe conduct capable of violating federal antitrust laws and harming patients who ultimately bear increased anesthesia costs.

A similar case brought by the Federal Trade Commission is also proceeding against USAP. Following a pause in the proceedings necessitated by the federal government shutdown, on November 13, 2025, the FTC announced that the required funding had been reinstated and that the case could proceed.

The case brought on behalf of a proposed class of patients, like the FTC's related case, takes on heightened urgency against a backdrop of escalating concerns about medical bills, out-of-network charges, and the financial strain of essential treatments. The lawsuit is proceeding in Texas, which leads the nation in rates of uninsured residents. The court's ruling also highlights how corporate consolidation may contribute to higher costs for patients in Texas.

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SOURCE Gibbs & Bruns LLP