US billionaire healthcare boss Prem Reddy sues nurses over 'track them down' campaign targeting him, daughter

Prime Healthcare founder and CEO Dr Prem Reddy has sued two major US nurse unions, accusing them of targeting his family and other company executives with a campaign outside their homes in a wealthy Los Angeles neighbourhood, The New York Post reported.The lawsuit alleges that members of the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United distributed fliers and put up signs around Brentwood, where Reddy’s daughter and grandchildren live. Prime claims some of the material displayed photographs and details of executives’ private properties and urged people to “track down” Reddy.Reddy himself does not live in Brentwood, according to the complaint cited by the Post . The lawsuit says he has strong family ties to the area, with his daughter Sunitha Reddy and grandchildren among those living there.Sunitha Reddy, Prime Healthcare’s chief revenue officer and vice president of operations, and company president and chief medical officer Dr Sunny Bhatia were also allegedly targeted.The campaign is said to have started on September 3, when union activists arrived in the neighbourhood. According to the lawsuit, fliers and banners were placed on telephone poles, streetlights and trees, while signs were also attached to private vehicles.Prime alleges that some of the fliers contained aerial images of at least three executives’ homes, along with information such as property size and descriptions.The company claims the campaign caused concern among the families, particularly because Sunitha Reddy’s home is close to a school. The lawsuit says younger children were kept indoors because of fears about their safety.Prime also alleges that it took hours to remove banners and clean up litter left in the neighbourhood.The company says it sent the unions a cease-and-desist letter on September 9, asking them to stop targeting residential properties. According to the complaint, a union lawyer contacted Prime the following day and allegedly indicated that the activity could stop if Reddy agreed to meet with the union.Prime’s lawyers described that alleged condition as “tantamount to economic extortion”.The company also says it contacted the Los Angeles Police Department on September 9 and 10 and reported the matter to the Los Angeles City Council, but claims it did not receive a response.The dispute continued when Bryant Aguilar, a California Nurses Association representative who works at Prime-owned Centinela Hospital, allegedly circulated a message encouraging nurses to attend a September 11 rally in Reddy’s neighbourhood.“We will be joining together in Dr. Reddy’s neighborhood and rally near his residence,” the message said, according to the lawsuit.Prime says the prospect of hundreds of nurses gathering near executives’ homes heightened concerns over the safety of their families.The lawsuit comes amid heightened scrutiny of security around senior healthcare executives following the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York. Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to stalking and murdering Thompson and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18.About Prime HealthcarePrime Healthcare, one of the largest health systems in the US, operates 51 hospitals across 14 states and has about 60,000 employees and affiliated physicians. The company reports annual revenue of about $7.4 billion.Reddy is seeking a temporary restraining order followed by preliminary and permanent injunctions against the unions. The company wants the court to prohibit what it describes as harassment and intimidation around executives’ homes and families, including targeted picketing within 300 feet of residences and the use of unpermitted signs and banners.Prime is also seeking nominal and punitive damages.The union has separately defended its campaign against Prime Healthcare. In a post on X accompanying a video of members protesting, it said nurses were “rising up systemwide against Prime Healthcare” over what it described as concerns about patient and nurse safety and the company's approach to profits.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.