NY attorney general to examine shutdown of Carlyle at the Palace

The state attorney general's office said Tuesday it will examine the abrupt shutdown of Carlyle at the Palace, a catering hall at the Off Track Betting Corp. facility in Plainview.

"We have opened an investigation into the closure of the Carlyle at the Palace and are committed to protecting consumers," Rachel Shippee, deputy press secretary for the attorney general's office, said in an email to Newsday.

"We encourage all impacted New Yorkers to file a complaint with our Nassau Regional Office."

The sudden closure of the business last week left dozens of families, who had booked events at the facility, scrambling to find new venues. Some customers said they had already paid thousands of dollars for future family celebrations, predominantly bar and bat mitzvahs, slated to be held at the Carlyle at the Palace.

Robyn Clemens of East Northport said last week that she and her husband paid $12,500 to have their daughter's bat mitzvah at Carlyle at the Palace in March. When she was contacted by an OTB representative on Thursday, who informed her that the caterer was out of business, Clemens said she was stunned.

It's unclear what will happen to money paid by Carlyle customers like Clemens.

A spokeswoman for attorney Richard Naidich, legal representative of Steve Carl, who managed Carlyle at the Palace, said Tuesday that the firm had "no comment at this time."

Joseph Cairo, president of the Nassau Regional Off Track Betting Corp., said Friday that despite being assured by Carl that the caterer would continue operating until the end of the year, a Tuesday email informed employees "that Carlyle at the Palace was out of business."

Cairo said that OTB, which has sought to reach out to families, knows of 71 upcoming catered events scheduled at Carlyle at the Palace, though its list may not be complete. Thirty-one of those events are scheduled before the year's end, he said.

With Ken Schachter