Judge sides with Oregon, sends Oracle case to state court - Gate House

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2015-05-09

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By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press March 12. 2015 5:08PM Judge sides with Oregon, sends Oracle case to state court SALEM — The state of Oregon has notched another victory in its high-stakes legal battle with Oracle Inc. over the failure of the Cover Oregon health insurance website. U.S. District Judge Anna Brown this week rejected Oracle's attempt to try the case in federal court. The decision means dueling lawsuits filed by the state and the company will proceed separately in state and federal court. The state's lawsuit accuses Oracle and its executives of corruption. State attorneys prefer to try their case in Marion County Circuit Court in Salem, where legal experts say jurors in the state capital may be more sympathetic. Oracle's defense blames the website's failure, in part, on incompetence by state workers. In its own federal lawsuit, Oracle accuses Oregon of copyright infringement and breach of contract. A spokeswoman for Oracle, Deborah Hellinger, declined to comment on the judge's decision. The judge's ruling, dated Tuesday, says Oracle missed a deadline to file notice of its plans to "remove" the case from state court to federal court. The notice was Oracle's second attempt to remove the case. The first attempt, which was filed before the deadline, was rejected on other procedural grounds. Kristina Edmunson, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, said the state is pleased with the ruling. "We have always believed this is a case about Oregon, and it is best suited in a state courtroom," Edmunson said. The judge's ruling is the latest victory for Oregon over Oracle in the multifront legal battle. Last month, a state judge in Salem also sided with Oregon in ordering Oracle to continue hosting computer systems for Medicaid.   http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20150312/NEWS/150319824 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->