Rumson Officials File Injunction to Shut Down Oxford House

On the heels of a second medical emergency at the contentious Oxford House substance abuse rehabilitation home, Rumson officials have filed an injunction aimed at ultimately shutting down the house and asking for "immediate relief" by ousting its residents now.

The injunction and temporary request for residents' removal were filed at 2 p.m. on Tuesday in Monmouth County Superior Court by Borough Attorney Martin Barger, Mayor John Ekdahl said after an early council meeting.

"What the injunction does is to create a hearing where both sides can present their case," Ekdahl said. "We understand the hearing is probably three or four weeks away; but, in the meantime, we want them out of the house until we have a chance to present our case. Based on these violations of the charter and this being the second major incident, we think the judge will give us relief — immediate relief, temporary relief — until the hearing."

If not, Ekdahl said, "we still have the hearing. It just means they (Oxford residents) can stay there in the meantime." That could mean a few weeks, considering upcoming holiday closings at court. Oxford House neighbors who showed up for the meeting, but had dispersed at its end, Ekdahl said mostly questioned the injunction process.

The injunction, or court order is based on the fact that officials feel Oxford has violated its own charter, Ekdahl said. He cited the two medical incidents, one resulting in the death of a 25-year-old man, and rules verbally agreed upon between Oxford representatives and borough officials, such as having a live-in supervisor and enforcing guest and residents' curfews.

Officials spoke on Tuesday with George Kent, a regional manager with Oxford who facilitated a recent question-and-answer forum with neighbors of the 61 South Ward Avenue home, Ekdahl said.

Kent, he said, conceded that the home's proctor was not present at the time of the most recent medical emergency at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday and a female overnight guest who should have left by midnight was still there.

Kent was not available for comment as of press time. However, he had said at the forum that while there are varying curfew rules for residents and guests, depending on whether or not they are in a probationary period and other factors, they are allowed overnight guests, just not all at the same time.

The mayor said he thought the injunction was well-founded, despite federal American Disabilities Act protections, since the borough's issue is based more on local law.

"This is more localized," he said. "We think they're running a safe house in a residential neighborhood that is obviously not being supervised."

Kent had said at the forum that the Oxford House homes are considered residences with "families" of recovering addicts.

He had also said that in the 38 years of Oxford House's existence nationwide there has only been one incident of Oxford House shut-down, but not in New Jersey. He said that in that case, the name was being illegitimately used to run something entirely different, not according to Oxford's charter.

Ekdahl said that Barger had been in contact with Oxford House founder Paul Molloy, a self-described "original preppie" alcoholic who lost everything in his struggle with alcoholism and started Oxford with one house, according to a 1991 60 Minutes interview.