St. Luke’s suing Ammon Bundy over March lockdown

BOISE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The St. Luke’s medical system announced Wednesday they have filed a lawsuit against Ammon Bundy and others over a March protest that forced a hospital into lockdown.

The incident stems from Bundy and a collection of his supporters protesting outside St. Luke’s Boise over a child custody case involving a family friend.

Their complaint alleges a concerted effort to disrupt St. Luke’s through false claims and defamation of St. Luke’s parties.

St. Luke’s says the lockdown prevented them from entering or exiting the building and being able to provide care for patients.

Diego Rodriquez and Freedom Man Press were other entities named in the lawsuit.

“It is important for us to stand up to the bullying, intimidation and disruption, and the self-serving and menacing actions of these individuals, for the protection of our employees and patients, and to ensure our ability to serve our community,” said Chris Roth, president and CEO of St. Luke’s Health System.

They say their suit aims to stop “the defendants from their ongoing harassment and to remove defamatory and false material they have posted and shared online and through other platforms.”