By Michael V. Cusenza
City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) recently delivered an update regarding court proceedings in the case brought by Ariola and Assemblywoman Jaime Williams (D-Brooklyn), along with several other elected officials and community leaders, which has petitioned the Court to disallow the use of federal park land at Floyd Bennett Field in the Gateway National Recreation Area to house a camp for migrants.
The first day of courtroom hearings regarding the case was a productive one, according to Ariola, as lawyers from both sides met and laid out the timelines going forward. During the Dec. 20 hearing, City and State lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the case. The plaintiffs now have until Jan. 4 to respond to these latest attempts at dismissal; and in-person arguments will move forward on Jan. 18. An attempt by the City and State to push the hearing back further into February was also defeated on the floor by plaintiff attorney John Ciampoli.
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“No more delays from the City—this has gone on for far too long, and I am looking forward to finally having our day in court next month,” Councilwoman Ariola said.
“I know a lot of people were hoping to have a resolution to this issue today, but unfortunately the City is looking to drag this out and make it as long of a process as possible,” Ariola said. “On Jan. 18, we now have a definitive date for in-person arguments when the judge will have to hear us. No more delays from the City—this has gone on for far too long, and I am looking forward to finally having our day in court next month.”
Attorney and 10th State Senate District candidate Michael O’Reilly noted, “The schedule set forth by the Court is absolutely normal, and the defendant’s motion to dismiss is completely expected… The judge has now granted us an opportunity to respond to the defendant’s baseless attempt to prematurely dismiss our case. We will have our day in court.”
