EDITORIAL: Settlement with Comprehensive was best for county

Feb. 11--The decision last week by the county commissioners to settle a financial dispute with the owners of the former Friendship Ridge nursing home may be unpopular with some officials and residents, but it was the right call.

The commissioners, in a 2-1 vote, with Chairwoman Sandie Egley opposed, approved a settlement that ends any challenge as to whether the county or Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC is owed further payment from the $37.5 million sale of the county-owned facility in 2014.

As part of the agreement, $380,972 in a country-controlled bank account will be turned over to Comprehensive. The money consisted of reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid and insurance companies for care provided to residents of the facility, and all agreed that the money rightfully belonged to Comprehensive.

What was in dispute was whether the county received all payment due from the sale. After county Controller David Rossi first raised the question, the commissioners authorized an audit of the sale, which showed that $1.3 million was still due the county.

Comprehensive officials, however, quickly challenged that assertion, claiming instead that their own financial review of the deal showed the county owed them nearly $4 million from the transaction.

The county filed a notice of intent to sue Comprehensive last July, which ultimately led to a series of negotiations. In the end, both sides agreed to simply close the deal once and for all and end any claim to further payment.

Egley and Rossi are standing by the audit findings, with Egley saying she wanted to pursue the lawsuit and take the matter to court.

Commissioners Tony Amadio and Daniel Camp were not so sure of the strength of the county's case and voted for the settlement. Amadio, the only commissioner who was in office when the sale was completed, has said repeatedly he felt the deal was done in 2014 and doubted whether anyone was still owed more money.

County solicitor Garen Fedeles said the sales agreement had several areas that could be open to interpretation, and that weakened the county's case if the matter ended up in court.

Given that assessment, we believe Amadio and Camp were right to settle the matter and move past it. A prolonged court battle would have resulted in legal fees and the possibility of getting nothing in return or, worse yet, a finding that the county actually owed more money to Comprehensive. It's true that the court may have ruled in the county's favor, but Comprehensive could have appealed that and dragged the matter out for years.

It may be a tough pill for some to swallow, but the settlement was the best course of action. It's time to move on to more-pressing county business.

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