The Justice Department says it will not be conducting a civil rights probe
into New York's nursing homes during the pandemic, according to a letter sent
to several Republican members of Congress.
More than 15,800 people died in nursing homes and
assisted living facilities around the state amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Bennett Gershman, a law professor at Pace
University, says that the department concluded that "no foul play"
happened. The DOJ Civil Rights Division was probing New York's March 2020 order
that required nursing homes to accept those previously hospitalized for
COVID-19.
"'Was this decision wrongful and a violation of
civil rights?’ In a
nutshell, that's what I think is going on here, and the Justice Department
concluded there was no wrongdoing, and therefore they decided not to pursue
this investigation," Gershman says.
Gov. Andrew
Cuomo is still under investigation by federal prosecutors for allegedly
manipulating numbers related to public nursing home deaths.
News 12
reached out to the governor's office for comment.