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October 22, 2009
A Pileup of Lawsuits Slams Atlantic Yards
The Huffington Post
by Daniel Goldstein
There is some misinformation making the rounds out there about the legal fight against developer Bruce Ratner's hugely controversial Atlantic Yards development proposal in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
...The misinformation has intentionally, and unsurprisingly, been spread by Ratner and the state's top business agency the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC). They claim that they've "won 25 cases" and editorial boards such as The News's pick it up as gospel truth.
It's a lie.
...Obviously team Ratner's point is to imply that the opposition movement against Atlantic Yards litigates frivolously.
Hardly.
Our adversaries' attorneys have never charged such a thing because there is no legal argument for it. No court has ever ruled that way. That's because our lawsuits have stood on firm legal and constitutional grounds.
What is the public to do when the democratic, political process governing development in New York City is bypassed entirely for the largest development proposal in Brooklyn's history, which was a fixed deal from day one? Who is to blame for litigation when legal corners are continually cut, laws violated and provocative private sector tactics go unchecked, or worse, are applauded by politicians. Where are the charges of frivolity when it comes to Ratner's, Bloomberg's and Paterson's hardheaded goal of building the most expensive arena in history, in the middle of a recession and housing crisis, especially when that taxpayer-subsidized arena would be a money loser for New York City?
Posted by eric at October 22, 2009 1:07 PM