Private special education institutions on the Upper East Side face allegations of avoiding a bill totaling $800,000 meant for protecting against sexual harassment claims and health violations. This has sparked a new lawsuit.
The founders point fingers at the city’s Department of Education, claiming their financial troubles stem from the $6 million owed to them by the city.
The International Institute for the International Brain, also known as Ibrain, is a vocational school for children with brain injuries and disabilities. They enlisted the elite law firm Pryor Cashman to deal with various legal challenges across city, state, and federal courts in 2023.
The lawsuit claims that Ibrain owes over $800,000 to Pryor Cashman, despite having made a partial payment of about $81,000.
“Despite sincere efforts to secure payment from Ibrain, it has failed and refused to pay,” states the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Ibrain students, who are described as “nonverbal and wheelchair dependent,” are represented as having complex medical needs, according to the school’s founder.
Pryor Cashman’s work for Ibrain in 2023 included assisting with unspecified health law violations, advising former staff on how to address issues at schools with undesirable conditions.
In an embarrassing previous civil court case, a former employee claimed that the school was “very filthy and unsanitary.”
Ibrain also pursued legal action against these “dissatisfied” employees for alleged copyright infringement, claiming that they used copyrighted images of Ibrain’s disabled students without permission. Both cases reportedly settled out of court.
The lawsuit mentions that while the school initially agreed to deal with the billed amounts, there was a lack of response from Eveline, who the school turned to for payment resolution.
Patrick Donohue, the school’s founder, attributed the ongoing financial struggles to “continuous and intentional delays” from the city’s education department. He emphasized that NYC’s Department of Education has a history of withholding funds that impacts special education students and currently owes more than $6 million.
Pryor Cashman has yet to provide comments regarding the ongoing legal matters.
In discussing the lawsuit, Donohue expressed intentions to meet their financial obligations once the city fulfills its own responsibilities to Ibrain’s students.
A single father who once served as the finance director for George Pataki’s victory campaign, Donohue established the school after his newborn daughter suffered brain damage caused by a violent incident.
According to court documents, Ibrain claims it only requires a refundable fee for registration, with parents receiving funding through the Disabled Education Act along with other public and private assistance.
Presently, Ibrain operates in locations across the Upper East Side, Brooklyn, and Washington, D.C.
Recently, the school organized an event called the First Ibranegara at Central Park Boat House, aiming to create a stark contrast to the Met Gala, which featured its students navigating a red carpet using advanced exoskeleton technology.
