Medicaid lawsuit

Sunday, April 4th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Officials who oversee the Oklahoma Medicaid program are trying to stop a retrial alleging they discriminated against seven rural mental health clinics out of retaliation.

Oklahoma Health Care Authority officials have requested a federal judge be temporarily barred from retrying a dispute between the OCHA and the clinics.

The clinics claim they lost $18-million because state officials retaliated against them for raising questions at the Capitol about funding and reimbursement policies.

A jury awarded the clinics $34.4-million in damages last year, but the verdict was overturned.

The OCHA wants to stop the retrial until a higher court rules on the earlier verdict.