North Dakota's Supreme Court has upheld a judge's ruling that ended a doctor's lease to run a clinic at a nursing home in Glen Ullin.

Marian Manor Apartments Inc. terminated George Hsu's lease to run the clinic there when his license was revoked. Hsu sued Marian Manor but South Central District Court Judge David Reich ruled against him in December 2006.

Hsu lost his medical license in 2004 after the medical board found he provided inappropriate care and failed to keep adequate records.

Reich said state law, which defines a medical doctor as someone who maintains an office for the purpose of seeing patients, bars Hsu from owning a clinic.

In its unanimous ruling Thursday, the justices said Hsu's license to practice medicine was a "necessary license" that he was required to maintain under the terms of the lease with the nursing home.

- Associated Press