Douglas

This appeal is the latest attempt by various hospitals to recoup financial reimbursement from the Department of Health Care Services (the Department) following their successful petition for writ of mandate to have Senate Bill No. 1103 (2003-2004 Reg. Sess.) invalidated. Although the hospitals failed to seek monetary damages in that original petition for writ of mandate, they did request financial reimbursement in administrative proceedings, which were stayed at the hospitals’ request pending resolution of court proceedings; they also sought monetary relief from the trial court in a motion to amend their original petition for writ of mandate and in a new court proceeding, which they later dismissed. After all of the court proceedings terminated, the administrative law judges (ALJs) dismissed the administrative proceedings, prompting the underlying petitions for writ of mandate. At issue is whether the ALJs properly dismissed the administrative proceedings on the grounds that the hospitals’ requests for financial reimbursement are barred by the doctrine of res judicata.

We conclude that Dignity Health, Hi-Desert, and Mee’s requests are all barred by the doctrine of res…