The long, drawn-out saga of Healthscope’s attempt to buy rival Symbion Health’s diagnostics assets and create Australia’s largest hospital and diagnostics provider took an unexpected turn Friday when spurned suitor Primary Healthcare took Symbion to court for the second time.

Primary started proceedings in federal court in relation to a proposed deal which would see Healthscope buying Symbion’s diagnostics assets in a scrip deal worth A$1.6bn and also assuming about A$900m of Symbion debt.