Lawsuit dismissed between Midwest Ambulance and ambulance board

FAIRFIELD — A lawsuit filed by Midwest Ambulance against the local ambulance service board has been dismissed.

Midwest Ambulance, which provided ambulance service to Jefferson County until October 2020, sued the Jefferson County Ambulance Service Agency and its three members: Paul Gandy, representing the Fairfield City Council; Lee Dimmitt, representing Jefferson County Board of Supervisors; and Julie Greason, representing Jefferson County Health Center.

The ambulance company argued the agency violated open meetings law in how it awarded the ambulance contract to CARE Ambulance in 2020, which the agency chose over Midwest Ambulance and another firm.

Fairfield City Attorney John Morrissey, one of four members of the defense counsel, said the agency disagreed that it had violated open meetings law. He said the matter involved information the agency requested of Midwest Ambulance as part of its bid that the company did not provide.

Midwest Ambulance filed its suit in March 2020, hoping for an injunction to stop the contract and restart the bidding process. The court ruled in July 2020 against Midwest Ambulance’s motion for an injunction.

Morrissey said the two sides ultimately agreed that if the agency paid $300 in court fees, Midwest Ambulance would drop the lawsuit, which it did.