James Steele v. Hospital Corporation Of America

36 F.3d 69 RICO Bus.Disp.Guide 8649 James STEELE; Randa Steele; James Steele, Jr., et al., Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA, a West Virginia Corporation; General Health Ser., a Delaware corporation; Stuart Wyckoff, M.D., et al., Defendants-Appellees. No. 92-17035. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted March 18, 1994. Decided Sept. 19, 1994. C. Frederick Pinkerton, Reno, NV, for plaintiffs-appellants. Mark H. Lynch, Covington & Burling, Washington, DC, and Theodore D. Gamboa, Osborne and Gamboa, Reno, NV, for defendants-appellees. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. Before: WALLACE, Chief Judge, POOLE and CANBY, Circuit Judges. WALLACE, Chief Judge: 1 Four former patients of an adolescent psychiatric care unit and their parents (patients) brought suit under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act of 1970 (RICO), 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1961-1968 , against Dr. Stuart Wyckoff, director of the adolescent care unit at Truckee Meadows Hospital (hospital), General Health Services, Inc., Health Services Acquisition Corp., and Hospital Corporation of America. Patients claimed that Wyckoff…