Wolfe to Appeal Summit Park Decision in the County's (and His) Favor

NEW CITY, NY — A lawsuit brought by Rockland's public employee unions against county officials over the sale of Summit Park hospital has been dismissed by a judge — and that decision may be appealed by Rockland County Legislature Chairman Alden Wolfe, one of the original defendants.

Summit Park Hospital and Nursing Care Center was closed late last year after a plan to sell it to a private company fell through, partly because the sale had been challenged in court by the county's unions. Wolfe and many county officials were named as defendants.

Wolfe had retained independent counsel for that challenge, which was dismissed Aug. 3 (the judge ruled it moot); and that lawyer, Dennis Lynch, is acting on his behalf for this as well. A notice of appeal (such a notice must be filed to commence appellate review) was filed Aug. 17.

Lynch was not immediately available for comment.

Wolfe is also using Lynch in a defamation suit he filed last week against Rockland County Executive Ed Day that is connected to social media comments during a 2015 spat over transparency between county departments, the Rockland County Times reported.

The County Executive's response to the notice of appeal was swift on social media:

Day instructed Count Attorney Thomas Humbach to pay Lynch up to Aug. 17 and no more for his defense of Wolfe in the initial Summit Park lawsuit.

PHOTO: Summit Park Hospital and Nursing Care Center/Rockland County