Anti-government activist fails to discharge $52M judgment owed to St. Luke’s

A federal judge ruled against Ammon Bundy, an anti-tax activist, who had sought to have a $52 million civil penalty against him discharged through bankruptcy proceedings. However, the Utah-based court ruled Bundy is still on the hook for the full judgment. 

In making the ruling, Judge William Thurman sided with St. Luke’s Health System, which successfully sued Bundy for damages after he made repeated claims that the nonprofit health system kidnapped children. 

This stemmed from an incident in which a friend’s infant grandson was not released by the hospital, due to malnourishment and poor health. 

Bundy staged protests outside the facility, and was arrested for trespassing. St. Luke later filed a lawsuit, which he allegedly ignored for over a year. Eventually, he was found to have acted maliciously in defaming St. Luke’s, who was awarded a judgment.

According to attorneys representing the hospital, Bundy had hoped to declare bankruptcy to avoid paying the court-ordered fine, which has been accruing interest at 10.25% annually since it was first imposed in 2023.

Bundy insists he told the truth about St. Luke’s relationship to child protective services. He claims the hospital manipulated evidence to gain favor with the courts. 

For more, read the full story from Boise State Public Radio at the link below.