The city has been around this track before, but it looks like taxpayers finally may be off the hook when it comes to paying health premiums for OTB retirees, it was announced yesterday.
After five months of litigation, five judges on the Appellate Division First Judicial Department ruled the premiums stopped being the city’s responsibility when OTB was transferred to the state in 2008.
The city had continued making the payments and was getting reimbursed.
When OTB shut down late last year, all bets were off.
District Council 37, which represented OTB employees, won a temporary restraining order forcing the city to keep paying premiums.
The order was overturned within a month, but the union appealed and benefits were restored.
Officials said the city is now out $1.8 million, which it can’t recover.
Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo appealed to the state to now fund the retirees’ medical costs.
“We stress again that this matter involves a very, very unfortunate situation,” he said. “We continue to strongly urge that the state . . . take appropriate steps to help OTB’s retirees.”