Lakewood Hospital

Some community activists in Lakewood, Ohio, are suing Cleveland Clinic to try to get the prestigious system to continue leasing Lakewood Hospital through 2026 instead of closing it next year and opening a family health center and emergency department in its place.

The lawsuit, in Cuyahoga Common Pleas Court,  seeks damages  of at least  $400 million. It alleges breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud, among others allegations.

The suit will probably encourage activists elsewhere to sue big hospital systems consolidating their services and closing community hospitals to do so.