In a lengthy decision, the Appellate Division found no basis to disturb a Bergen County jury’s award of $24.3 million in favor of a group of neurosurgeons that found Valley Hospital breached the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing when it signed an exclusive agreement with another surgical group.

The plaintiffs in the case, 11 neurosurgeons and their practice group, New Jersey Brain and Spine Center, provided on-call coverage in Valley Hospital’s emergency department, the appeals court wrote in its Aug. 9 opinion. According to the opinion, the neurosurgeons were “instrumental” in acquiring specialized equipment for the hospital, including biplane angiography and Gamma Knife equipment, which allowed Valley Hospital to treat stroke patients rather than transferring those cases to Columbia University in New York.