East Valley Institute of Technology has filed a lawsuit challenging a 14-year-old lease agreement with Adelante Healthcare.

EVIT’s action is unwarranted, disruptive and a threat to both health care access and student training programs, Adelante Healthcare said in a statement.

EVIT reported in September 2024 an internal review had discovered a lease signed in 2011 may have resulted in the school not being paid fair market value for rent while a third party may have made millions of dollars on the deal. The review found the lease for Adelante Healthcare, a community health center on the EVIT Main Campus, 1601 W. Main St. in Mesa, signed by previous EVIT administration in 2011, may not have been approved by the EVIT Governing Board as required by law, EVIT said at the time.

For more than a decade, Adelante’s $15 million, 42,000-square-foot medical facility on EVIT’s campus — built at no cost to EVIT — has been a resource for Mesa residents and a training ground for future health care professionals, the release from Adelante states.

Adelante has trained 86 EVIT students between 2017 and 2024. Adelante has employed more than 55 EVIT graduates, the release states.

Since 2020, the facility has provided more than 50,000 patients with health care services across 331,000 visits. No dedicated health facility within a 10-mile radius offers such comprehensive, community-focused care, it states.

“Despite these clear benefits, EVIT filed a lawsuit on Feb. 26 challenging the validity of a lease agreement the district helped negotiate, approve and promote in 2011. At the time, EVIT’s board and attorneys were fully engaged in the process, and the lease was reviewed by one of Arizona’s most respected law firms,” according to the release.

“EVIT’s attempt to rewrite history here is puzzling, to say the least,” Pedro Cons, Adelante Healthcare’s chief executive officer, said in the release. “EVIT sought out a partnership with Adelante. EVIT’s board and leadership were instrumental in developing the plan for the facility, which they approved with advice from experienced attorneys. Now, after 14 years of saying nothing while reaping the benefits of this partnership, EVIT has gone on the attack in what feels like a grab for cash or political leverage. Either way, Adelante — which has done nothing wrong — looks forward to defending our actions and reputation in a court of law.”

Adelante’s current leadership team, which had no involvement in the lease negotiations, has conducted an internal review of the agreement and its execution. That review found no evidence of impropriety at any point in the past 14 years, the release from Adelante states.

“EVIT’s unfortunate decision to take legal action against a longtime partner jeopardizes health care for tens of thousands of Mesa residents and a quality education for scores of much-needed health care professionals,” Cons said in the release. “It’s a distraction that detracts from the serious work this partnership was created to accomplish. Mesa’s residents, the medical practitioners of tomorrow, and local taxpayers deserve much, much better.”

For information on Adelante Healthcare, go to AdelanteHealthcare.com.