Judge Tosses Lawsuit By Long Beach Residents Seeking Return Of Sandy Relief Money
LONG BEACH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Long Beach, Long Island residents who were looking to have $155 million of Superstorm Sandy relief money returned have had their lawsuit dismissed.
As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, it has been a fright for residents for many years. They said they want a hospital to return to Long Beach after Long Beach Medical Center closed – ruined because of Sandy.
The battle went to court after the local civic association sued for the return of $154 million of Federal Emergency Management Administration money that South Nassau Communities Hospital – which owned the medical center – used for its facility in Oceanside and not in Long Beach.
But a judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying the association had no claim to how FEMA's money was spent.
"Long Beach has been taken for granted for quite a while on the hospital issue," said association attorney Francis McQuade.
South Nassau opened an emergency facility in 2015 in Long Beach. Spokesman Joe Calderone said the hospital is pleased with the judge's ruling.
"The patient satisfaction surveys have us in the 90th and 95th percentile since we opened," Calderone said.