Supreme Court dismisses complaint against Ferraiuoli Hornedo

Verónica Ferraiuoli Hornedo

By THE STAR STAFF

The Puerto Rico Supreme Court has ordered the dismissal of a complaint filed against attorney Verónica Ferraiuoli Hornedo in connection with the case of Sally Priester v. Puerto Rico Department of Health, bringing the matter to a close.

“Having examined the complaint, as well as the other filings subsequently submitted, the Court orders the complaint archived,” the island’s highest court said in its official resolution.

Following the decision, Ferraiuoli Hornedo said the ruling confirmed what she had previously maintained: that she rejected any allegation of improper conduct in the case or any other matter.

“The Honorable Supreme Court has now confirmed it, with the full dismissal of the complaint filed,” Ferraiuoli Hornedo said. She added that in nearly 30 years as a licensed attorney, she had never before received a complaint against her.

Ferraiuoli Hornedo described the complaint as politically motivated, saying it was “a political attack” intended to harm both her and Gov. Jenniffer González Colón’s administration. Ferraiuoli Hornedo is the wife of La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Francisco Domenech Fernández.

She said that after being appointed secretary of state, she asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston, where the case was pending at the time, to allow her to withdraw from representing Dr. Víctor Ramos Otero. The request, she said, was made in keeping with her ethical responsibilities and without affecting Ramos Otero’s rights in the case.

Ferraiuoli Hornedo said the appeals court granted the request while the case was stayed and submitted for adjudication. She said her name continued to appear on the District Court docket only because the notification system kept her listed as counsel in the historical record from when the case was filed in 2022, not because she was actively representing Ramos Otero, who is now serving as the island’s health secretary.

Ferraiuoli Hornedo also criticized what she described as the spread of false and defamatory information about the matter, saying it had been published in a distorted way and without first seeking her response.

“Enough of so many false and malicious attacks,” she said.

The government efficiency coordinator said her focus would remain on carrying out the public policy agenda of the González Colón administration and working for the welfare of Puerto Rico.

With the Supreme Court’s determination, Ferraiuoli Hornedo said the matter is “totally concluded, clarified and closed,” adding that she would make no further statements on the issue.