State seeks permanent receivership of Pillsbury senior home facilities

(WCAX)
Published: Dec. 10, 2018 at 10:40 AM EST
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The state of Vermont wants total and permanent control over four senior living homes in crisis.

Bills went unpaid for months and a shortage of nurses led to deteriorating care at the Pillsbury facilities.

Our Dom Amato has been following this story. He was in a Montpelier courtroom Monday where the state is making its move. There were questions about who and what was getting paid by the owners of the Pillsbury homes. But most notably, we saw one of those owners for the first time, Andrew White of Texas. White is one of the owners of the four Pillsbury facilities that house 200 residents in South Burlington and St. Albans.

Last month, the state was granted temporary receivership over the properties after staff members, family and residents complained of food insecurity, unpaid utility bills and rent checks not getting cashed. Monday's hearing was an effort to make that permanent.

White's company, East Lake Capital Management, is based in Dallas. WCAX News tried to speak with him as he left the court.

Reporter Dom Amato: Mr. White, is there any message to concerned family members from the Pillsbury facilities?

Andrew White: Not right now, thanks so much.

Dierdre Erb's mom lives at one of the Pillsbury facilities. She says her mother hasn't seen a rent bill in months but she will eventually have to pay all that back rent.

"I had, was hopeful that this would go forward with the permanent receivership, based on our last meeting and today I'm not so sure that's going to happen as seamlessly as I hoped," Erb said.

The hearing will continue Tuesday. We're told more details will come out regarding the properties and what happened at them within the last month.

While rent has not been collected, all 120 employees have been getting paid but obviously not with money from the renters they serve.

The hearing could go into Wednesday.