NYU Langone drops out of pending Cobble Hill hospital deal

NYU Langone Medical Center scrapped plans late last night to redevelop the Long Island College Hospital site in Cobble Hill.

Johnny Lee Baynes, a justice in Brooklyn Supreme Court, advised that the New York State Nurses Association file a lawsuit against NYU Langone Medical Center and Fortis Property Group, the prospective buyers of the site.

“This evening the Court ordered NYU Langone’s direct involvement in the lawsuit between New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and State University of New York (SUNY).  We fear this would ultimately force NYU Langone to remove the highly qualified nursing staff we had hired and constrain our ability to choose nurses who meet our standards,” NYU Langone Medical Center said in a statement provided to Crain’s.

Last month, the court granted New York State Nurses Association a temporary restraining order that halted the building’s purchase The union alleged that the buyers did not hire nurses who had been laid off, thus violating an agreement.

In the wake of the medical center’s exit, the fate of the medical services at the site are unknown. [Crain’s] — Mark Maurer