The latest court decision by a Chester County judge has left the door open for the possible reopening of Jennersville and Brandywine hospitals. Harold Brubaker charted this latest development for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Court of Common Pleas Judge Edward Griffith ruled that Tower Health should not have unilaterally canceled the sale of the two Chester County hospitals to Canyon Atlantic Partners in December. By that action, he has effectively reinstated the original sale agreement.

“Nothing in the agreement justified Tower’s insistence on compliance with nonexistent deadlines and benchmarks,” wrote Griffith.

He then ordered the financially struggling health system to maintain the two closed hospitals in their current conditions and provided Canyon with 90 days to determine what needs to be done by both parties to complete the transaction. Closing can take place after 90 days.

Since the hospitals are shuttered, it is going to cost Canyon significantly more to reopen them than it would if it took them over while still in business. The company would have to go through a costly re-licensing process, and it would have to hire employees, which is more expensive than having the hospitals already staffed.

Read more about the implications of this court decision in The Philadelphia Inquirer.