North Country Veteranarian Sues Village of Massena

Oh man, here's one for any of us up this way that have been following this story.

Dr. Wilfredo Perez, owner of the Java Veterinary Clinic out on Route 56 just on the outskirts of Massena lost the clinic to a fire back in 2022.

For those that remember, the fire itself was somewhat controversial, as it had reignited after the first fire response, and that second ignition is what ultimately destroyed the entire facility, with many local residents losing pets in the blaze.

What has made this story interesting is Dr. Perez' response to the blaze, with this recent article being part of the saga in which Dr. Perez is trying to place blame on the town and local fire departments for the blaze, with his believing the fire departments did not act quickly enough.

https://northcountrynow.com/stories/louisville-veterinarian-who-lost-clinic-in-2022-fire-now-suing-village-of-massena-as-well,282899

Now, here's a tidbit that I have heard from people that know Dr. Perez at a personal level: He did not have insurance coverage for the facility, nor it's contents, and also kept a large sum of cash with which he used to operate the business in a safe on-site which was also lost in the blaze.

First hand knowledge is that while Dr. Perez is a generally nice person, he did not take criticism very well, which has resulted in strained relations with the community as well as some of his current and past employees.

Local rumor is that the fire was set intentionally, though the lack of insurance tends to make one question that.