ST. LOUIS 鈥 A lawsuit filed against Northview Village Nursing Home 鈥 the 50度灰视频 facility that closed abruptly one night in December 鈥 will be delayed after the home鈥檚 owners failed to pay their attorneys.
The lawsuit was filed by a former nursing home employee who alleged that the facility violated the federal act that requires employers to notify workers ahead of major layoffs or closures.
Workers were laid off suddenly on a Friday in mid-December following a dispute among the owners over how to cover payroll. That afternoon, vans from other area nursing homes arrived to remove 174 residents to facilities across the metro region, sometimes in different counties, often without notifying residents鈥 family members. Two residents went missing. One was found the next day at a gas station 7 miles away, and the other was found three weeks later.
People are also reading…
The federal act requires 60 days鈥 notice ahead of mass layoffs, with some exemptions, like natural disasters or unforeseeable business circumstances. Northview attorneys argued in filings that the shutdown qualified as 鈥渦nforeseeable.鈥 They claimed that the owners had only announced that they couldn鈥檛 make payroll, not that they wanted the building shut down, and blamed employees for the closure.
Last week attorneys representing Northview in the case requested the court鈥檚 permission to withdraw because their clients were unable to pay for their services, and had requested that they withdraw as counsel.
鈥淲e have very, very poor communications, and nonpayment,鈥 said James Morris, an attorney representing Northview, said during a hearing Thursday morning. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not getting a lot of cooperation.鈥
Michael Iadevaia, an attorney representing the worker said Northview had only provided an address to serve further papers to, not an actual representative.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hearing stories that the owners of these entities are liquidating assets in the meantime,鈥 Iadevaia said. His client is worried that by the time the lawsuit progresses, 鈥渢here may not be anything left.鈥
Northview Village was owned by Mahklouf 鈥淢ark鈥 Suissa and Chicago nursing home magnate Eric Rothner, and operated by Suissa鈥檚 company, Brentwood-based Healthcare Accounting Services. In February, another nursing home owned by the Suissa and Rothner families shut down: the 266-bed Salem Village Nursing Home in Joliet, near Chicago. And earlier this month, Suissa and the Rothner family sold their stakes in Grand Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation, a 120-bed facility on Cook Avenue in 50度灰视频.
Suissa and Rothner did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
At the end of the hearing, Judge Stephen Welby said he didn鈥檛 want Morris鈥 legal firm to work without pay. But Northview鈥檚 business must be represented by an attorney. He said he planned to file an order postponing the case until late June, when he would reconsider Morris鈥 motion to withdraw.
鈥淚f they want to hire a new lawyer, they need to do it quickly,鈥 Welby said. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 simply ignore this lawsuit, nor can they proceed without the assistance of counsel.鈥