OAK PARK, Ill. (WLS) — Attorneys representing one of the owners of a shuttered safety-net hospital embroiled in a court battle have asked to withdraw from the proceedings, citing “fundamental disagreements” with their client.<\/p>\n
It’s the latest news in an ongoing fight over the future of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park.<\/p>\n
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24\/7. Click here to watch<\/a><\/p>\n The ABC7 I-Team has been following the safety-net hospital’s closure closely as it employed hundreds of people and served thousands of patients a year, regardless of whether those patients could pay for healthcare. Community leaders said the hospital’s sudden closure created a “medical desert” in the area.<\/p>\n Shortly after its closure, hospital CEO Manoj Prasad and landowner Rathnaker Patlola sued each other, pointing the finger at who’s to blame for the hospital’s decline and mismanagement<\/a> over the years since it was acquired by the owners’ private company Resilience Healthcare in December 2022.<\/p>\n Both lawsuits were consolidated into a single proceeding, and over the past few weeks, the owners have been engaged in settlement negotiations that could result in a plan for the hospital to potentially reopen.<\/p>\n But on Monday, according to court records, attorneys representing Resilience Healthcare asked to withdraw from the case, writing, “Circumstances have developed that have created fundamental disagreements between undersigned counsel and the Client regarding the representation and the Client’s objectives in this matter.”<\/p>\n This follows a surprising development last week when more than 500 furloughed West Suburban Medical Center employees received “permanent” lay-off notices.<\/p>\n