Background
Joy Soudelier, Marley Soudelier, and Trent Soudelier brought claims against Thibodaux Regional Health System, Inc. d/b/a Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, General Electric Company, and GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc. The opinion does not describe the underlying events or detail the plaintiffs’ specific allegations.
Thibodaux Regional filed an exception of prematurity, asserting that the claims against it were subject to review by a medical review panel. The 17th Judicial District Court denied that exception in a May 26, 2026 judgment, and Thibodaux Regional sought supervisory review from the Louisiana First Circuit.
The Court’s Holding
The First Circuit granted the writ and reversed the portion of the district court’s judgment denying Thibodaux Regional’s exception of prematurity. Citing Coleman v. Deno, the court concluded that the plaintiffs’ allegations constituted medical-malpractice allegations and that Thibodaux Regional had met its burden of proving entitlement to review by a medical review panel.
The court granted the exception and dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims against Thibodaux Regional without prejudice. Chief Judge McClendon concurred and cited additional authority. Judges Theriot and Hester dissented and would have denied the writ.
Key Takeaways
- The First Circuit classified the allegations against Thibodaux Regional as medical-malpractice allegations.
- Thibodaux Regional proved that it was entitled to medical-review-panel review.
- The court granted the prematurity exception and dismissed the claims against Thibodaux Regional without prejudice.
Why It Matters
The decision changes the immediate procedural posture of the claims against Thibodaux Regional: the district court’s denial of the prematurity exception was reversed, and those claims were dismissed without prejudice. The writ disposition applies specifically to Thibodaux Regional; the opinion does not state a disposition concerning the other named defendants.