Since Steward’s bankruptcy announcement, members of the Committee have painted Dr. de la Torre as a villain and scapegoated him for the company’s problems, even those caused by systemic

Steward Health Care's Ralph de la Torre, who is stepping down as the bankrupt private hospital network's chief executive, on Monday sued a U.S. Senate committee which has voted to hold him in contempt for refusing to testify about Steward's financial troubles.

De la Torre is asking the court to declare that all actions related to enforcement of the subpoena are invalid and unconstitutional — including the vote of the committee on Sept. 19 approving the criminal contempt resolution and its decision to present the resolution to the full Senate for a vote.

Ralph de la Torre, the embattled chief executive officer of the bankrupt Steward Health Care System, sued a US Senate committee that subpoenaed him to testify about his role in the hospital chain’s financial collapse.

A spokesperson for Steward's former CEO said the split was amicable and on “mutually agreeable terms” despite a long string of woes.

The Senate voted last week to hold Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre in criminal contempt for declining to testify.

Departing Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre is fighting a criminal contempt of Congress charge against him for refusing to testify about the failure of his company.