Brian Stern: 20 Who Made a Difference in 2020

Brian Stern: 20 Who Made a Difference in 2020

There may be no judge that has a busier calendar than Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Brian Stern. He continues to oversee the ongoing state litigation tied to the receivership of the St. Joseph Hospital employees pension fund -- a suit that involves more than ten litigants including the Diocese of Providence and Prospect Medical Holding, the parent company CharterCARE.

He just issued a major decision on the fate of the proposed Fane Tower and is presiding over the high-profile lawsuit between the parent company of the Houston Rockets and RI-based FM Global.

But, what made the difference in 2020 was that once the pandemic hit, Stern took action and initiated a new Business Recovery Program designed to preserve viable Rhode Island businesses during the global economic crisis.

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"The Business Recovery Plan allows a business to come into court and the court will implement what's called a stay or an injunction which means any lawsuits against you, any 'dunning' calls -- all those things come to a stop and you actually have the time to sit back and look at your business plan and we appoint someone called a non-liquidating receiver who will work with you to put a plan together how to pay your own billing bills and your past debt," said Stern in announcing the innovative solution. 

Stern created the new initiative less than 45 days after the first confirmed case hit Rhode Island.