The Georgia Supreme Court nixed a putative class action claiming a Columbus hospital committed fraud by placing liens seeking the full amount of medical bills on patients, even though the actual negotiated amount billed and paid may be substantially less.

The decision overturned a trial judge and divided Court of Appeals panel in the closely watched case, the first of several similar class actions that had been lined up against Georgia hospitals. The unanimous opinion, written by Chief Justice Harold Melton, said the claims of the proposed class members were too varied to warrant class status, and should be resolved on a case-by-case basis.