BATON ROUGE - The operator of the LSU hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe is trying to maintain its hold on the facilities, asking a judge to throw out a university lawsuit seeking to have it removed.

A two-day court hearing in Baton Rouge began Wednesday over a request from the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana to have LSU's lawsuit dismissed.

LSU sued the research foundation, known as BRF, in September. The lawsuit claims BRF is in breach of its hospital management contract and failed to promote the hospitals' academic mission. 

The foundation is arguing that LSU's lawsuit was improperly filed and doesn't establish the basic facts needed to show breach of contract.

It wasn't clear if Judge Todd Hernandez would rule at the end of the two-day hearing or wait until later.