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Mediator assigned to resolve Valley Hospital lawsuit against Ridgewood

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JULY 16, 2015, 9:39 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2015, 9:46 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — A mediator has been assigned to attempt to resolve a lawsuit that was filed last fall against the village by The Valley Hospital.

Last month, a state judge denied Ridgewood’s request to be dismissed from The Valley Hospital’s suit, which suggests the village’s Planning Board acted improperly when it rejected the hospital’s expansion plans nearly a year ago.

It was the second defeat for The Valley Hospital in four years. The suit seeks a state judge’s intervention to end the pricey and protracted stalemate.

Ridgewood’s council signed off on a mediation agreement at its meeting Wednesday night that formally retains former New Jersey Supreme Court Judge Virginia Long.

The village will pay $7,500 for Long’s assistance.

Long will earn a total of $15,000 for her services as a mediator in the case, with The Valley Hospital agreeing to pay the remainder of her fee.( we would have done it for $10,000)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/mediator-assigned-to-resolve-valley-hospital-lawsuit-against-ridgewood-1.1375796

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Attorneys debate whether Valley Hospital exhausted all remedies

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Attorneys debate whether Valley Hospital exhausted all remedies

MARCH 27, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Oral arguments in the Valley Hospital lawsuit against the Village of Ridgewood and its Planning Board began last Thursday with the village’s motion to dismiss, but attendees were left with a cliffhanger until mid-April when additional issues can be briefed and may be argued.

The lawsuit comes after the Planning Board rejected Valley’s latest expansion proposal, which sought to nearly double the size of the hospital and would require years of construction in an otherwise residential neighborhood.

The June 2014 decision came after Valley successfully applied for a master plan amendment in 2010 at the Planning Board level, only to have the proposal rejected by the Village Council in 2011.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/crime-and-courts/attorneys-debate-whether-remedies-were-exhausted-1.1296814

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Ridgewood asks judge to dismiss Valley Hospital lawsuit

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DECEMBER 6, 2014    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The village of Ridgewood is asking a Bergen County judge to dismiss a lawsuit The Valley Hospital filed after its plan to nearly double in size was rejected, according to court documents filed this week.

The lawsuit, which hospital officials filed in October, targeted the Ridgewood Planning Board and the village, arguing the board illegally sided with neighborhood opponents rather than permitting a change in the hospital zone to upgrade “an inherently beneficial regional hospital.”

Valley’s expansion plans have been defeated twice in recent years and have triggered strong protest from some residents who spent more than $100,000 over several years to block the proposals.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/ridgewood-tries-to-halt-valley-suit-1.1147585