New York system board faces lawsuit over CEO's ouster

Alexander Rovt, PhD, chair of the board of trustees of One Brooklyn Health, a financially struggling health system that runs three private hospitals in New York City, faces a lawsuit over a September board vote to oust the organization's CEO, Politico reported Dec. 20.

The petition, filed by One Brooklyn Health board member Maurice Reid and former state Assemblymember Annette Robinson, accuses Dr. Rovt and each of the individual board members of "collective malfeasance and negligence in the performance of their duties." It also accuses Dr. Rovt of "conflict of interest and his personal enrichment of individual board members."

More specifically, the petition accused Dr. Rovt of making "reckless" and false statements about One Brooklyn Health CEO LaRay Brown in an interview with Politico and "lavishing expensive perks" on fellow board members, including trips by board members for their personal business and affairs, according to Politico

According to the publication, among other allegations in the petition is that Dr. Rovt placed a new and unvetted member on the board "just in time" to vote to end Ms. Brown's contract. The board also did not institute a conflict-of-interest protocol after board members agreed to address issues related to conflicts of interest, Mr. Reid and Ms. Robinson's attorney, William Martin, said in a sworn statement included in court papers, according to Politico.

The petition calls for dissolving and/or removal of the health system's board, the dissolution and removal of Dr. Rovt as chair. It also calls for the reversal of the One Brooklyn Health board's decision to end Ms. Brown's contract, according to Politico.

Reached by Politico on Dec. 20, Dr. Rovt denied blaming Ms. Brown for One Brooklyn Health's financial struggles despite telling the publication in September, "She spends too much money on different kinds of things," including executive salaries. He declined to comment further.

Politico was unable to reach Ms. Brown for comment. 

A One Brooklyn Health spokesperson told Becker's: "We have no comment on the lawsuit."

The board of trustees voted to remove Ms. Brown in September. The vote led healthcare union members to protest and urge the board and state and local leaders to commit to transparency and continued investment in the health system. 

One Brooklyn Health's board voted to appoint Sandra Scott, MD, as interim CEO on Nov. 17.

"With her undeniable experience and tenure, we are elated to announce Dr. Sandra Scott's appointment as interim CEO for One Brooklyn Health," Dr. Rovt said at the time. "In this role, Dr. Scott will continue to play a vital role in OBH's operations that ensure access to care, quality of care and patient safety as top priorities at every level in our healthcare network."

One Brooklyn Health, formed in 2016, includes Brookdale, Interfaith Medical Center and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center and their affiliated facilities. 

The health system said its board will consult with a leading medical executive search firm in January to conduct a national search for a permanent CEO. 

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