As a second round of settlement talks ended Monday in a judge’s chambers at the Daley Center, there continues to be no resolution of the dueling lawsuits between West Suburban Medical Center’s CEO Manoj Prasad and landlord Rathnaker Patlola of Ramco Holdings.
Meanwhile, lawyers for Resilience Healthcare have asked the judge to withdraw from the case, citing “fundamental disagreements” with an unspecified client.
A check of the Court Clerk’s website Monday afternoon showed a “Motion to Withdraw as Counsel” filed. ABC7 News reports the filing states that “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.”
The lawsuit effectively has three parties, with Prasad holding a 60% stake in Resilience Healthcare and Patlola a 40% stake. However, Prasad has retained a second attorney to represent himself and Westlaw Management, an entity Prasad controls and through which he operates independently of Resilience and West Sub. That includes a checking account within Westlaw into which he has reportedly directed funds from the shuttered hospital.
While the motion did not identify specifically who the attorneys had a fundamental disagreement with, Resilience attorney Martin Tasch told the judge on June 25 that “Resilience and Dr. Prasad do not have identical interests. Dr. Prasad has his own counsel.”
“Counsel for Dr. Prasad,” Tasch told the judge, “needs to participate (in any settlement talks) because his interests are different than the corporate entities.”
Prasad arrived at court on July 2 accompanied by two attorneys. He left two hours later alone and declined to comment to a Wednesday Journal reporter.
Following an inconclusive closed door settlement conference in Judge Patrick Stanton’s chambers July 2, a hearing was scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m., in open court. However, when a reporter walked into the courtroom several minutes before the scheduled start time, there was no one present, only a backpack leaning against a chair where attorney’s sit.
About a half hour later the courtroom remained empty, the doors on either side of the judge’s chambers closed.
ABC7 News reported Monday night that the meeting “ended with nothing finalized.” Stanton has now set another hearing in the case for July 8 at 1:30 p.m.
Monday afternoon the Clerk’s website noted the initial appearance for Resilience Healthcare of attorney Howard B. Brookins Jr., who is listed as of counsel at Ottosen, DiNolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo in Lisle.