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Patrick Lynch served eight years as Rhode Island’s attorney general, and once weighed a run for governor. His brother, William Lynch, chaired the state Democratic Party for more than a decade and ran for Congress.
Today, the two brothers are battling each other in court in a bitter dispute that has torn apart one of Rhode Island’s most recognizable political families.
For years, the conflict has unfolded largely outside of public view. Court records show it has since grown into a multipronged legal fight — including a defamation claim – stretching from Barrington Probate Court to the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
“This thing has mushroomed into a small war,” said Jeffrey Pine, who is Patrick Lynch’s attorney. In a very Rhode Island twist, Pine is himself a former two-term attorney general (Pine as a Republican, and Lynch as a Democrat).
At its core, the legal fight centers on a 10 percent ownership stake in Healyn Properties, a company that owns the Esmond Village housing development in Smithfield. Both the Lynch family and Dr. Philip O’Dowd held ownership interests in Healyn before O’Dowd’s death in 2013.
Court filings show the conflict grew out of O’Dowd’s estate, whose share in the company was transferred for $100 in 2018 to another brother, John Lynch — a price Patrick Lynch now argues dramatically undervalued the property. Tax records show the current value of the development is $9.8 million.
Can you name the two Providence City Council presidents who became mayor after Buddy Cianci resigned his office?
(Answer at the bottom.)
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The Globe in Rhode Island
⚓ On this week's edition of the Rhode Island Report podcast, Ed Fitzpatrick talks to Rhode Island AFL-CIO President Pat Crowley about the race for governor. Listen here.
⚓ The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence failed for decades to protect hundreds of children from clergy sexual abuse, and handled accusations of misconduct through “inaction, concealment, and revictimization,” according to an investigation released Wednesday by the attorney general’s office and Rhode Island State Police. Read more.
⚓ Who are the clergy "credibly accused" of abuse in the Providence Diocese report? Read more.
⚓ Clergy abuse survivors say report shows "complicity" of Providence diocese. Read more.
⚓ A former Providence councilwoman who suffered life-threatening injuries after she was run over and dragged by an 82-year-old volunteer driving a California state parks vehicle has been awarded nearly $19 million by a jury following a trial in California. Read more.
⚓ US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on Tuesday told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to stop the behavior that led to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents wrongfully detaining a high school intern at a Rhode Island courthouse in November. Read more.
⚓ peaking at times through tears, Scott Naso told a Kent County Family Court judge on Wednesday that he was trying to protect his daughter by keeping her away from her grandparents, who he believed caused his wife’s death and harmed the little girl. Read more.
⚓ Just two years after being appointed the chief executive officer and president of Rhode Island’s new Life Science Hub, Mark Turco is stepping down later this month. Read more.
You can check out all of our coverage at Globe.com/RI
Also in the Globe
⚓ A downtown Boston restaurant’s liquor license is in jeopardy after it allegedly hosted Patriots players after their snowy AFC Championship win in January with hookahs, a DJ, strippers, and after-hours drinking. Read more.
⚓ After more than 15 years on the platform formerly known as Twitter, Cambridge is leaving X. Read more.
⚓ The Patriots signed Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract as part of their spending spree last March, but they're planning to release him. Read more.
⚓ Rhode Map readers, if you want the birthday of a friend or family member to be recognized Friday, send me an email with their first and last name, and their age.
Joe Paolino was council president in 1984 and John Lombardi was the council president in 2001. Both men represented Ward 13 (Federal Hill) on the council.
RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST Ed Fitzpatrick talks to Rhode Island AFL-CIO President Patrick Crowley about the race for governor. Listen to all of our podcasts here.
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