Borough to Use Siegel as Attorney in Tricare Lawsuit

The borough will hire attorney Alan Siegel to handle parts of the lawsuit it has been served with by Tricare Treatment Services LLC.

Tricare, whose owner, Michael Osborne, had been attempting to open a residential gambling addiction treatment center at the Parrot Mill Inn, sued the Borough Council, Mayor Nelson Vaughan and the borough's Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Mayor Nelson Vaughan confirmed today Siegel will handle the Planning Board and Board of Adjustment sides of the suit. Borough Attorney Joseph Bell will handle the Borough Council portion of the matter. It will formally hire Siegel at its 7:30 p.m. meeting tonight.

Tricare's complaint was filed in state Superior Court in Morristown May 13.

Borough Zoning Officer Vince DeNave had decided in the early part of this year that the gambling addiction facility represented a continued use of the Parrot Mill Inn since it would be used for lodging, and in February, the Planning Board approved Tricare's application to change some of the bedrooms into offices.

But residents reacted angrily and eventually appealed DeNave's decision to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, claiming the property did not represent a continued use. The Zoning Board upheld the appeal at its March 24 meeting, saying the gambling addiction facility was not similar enough to the bed and breakfast to allow it to exist inside the building without a variance.

The suit alleges the parties violated state law in denying him permission to use the facility.