Former Wrangell Medical Center CEO Noel Selle-Rae filed his response to the civil suit put against him by the Borough of Wrangell earlier this month. In his response he denies that the Borough is owed any of the more than $520,000 paid to him by the now recalled WMC Board and says that the hospital must pay the second half of the severance package next year. He also asks that the Borough cover his legal fees from fighting the suit. Additionally, the response pins the blame for any wrongful conduct, if it did occur, on “others” and not on Selle-Rae.
In his legal response, Selle-Rae denies that he breached his contract by not signing a Release of Claims and a Covenant Not to Sue. The Borough argued that the contract required that he sign the release before being given his severance pay. Selle-Rae’s response says that the Release of Claims was not attached to the contract he received, and therefore he was under no legal obligation to sign it. He also denies that the contract included a clause which said he would be paid 60 days after termination. He claims that the contract and all of its amendments were completely legal, and the Wrangell municipal code does not give the Borough any authority over his contract.
The response also states that Selle-Rae is a resident of Anchorage, not of Wrangell, though he did live in Wrangell when he was terminated.
The next step in the law suit is a scheduling conference when the trial date will be set.
