LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES STRUGGLE WITH RELIGIOUS LAND USE APPLICATIONS

By Legal Larry Ask any local elected official about their concerns for their municipality. Chances are that beside the overwhelming issue surrounding local budgets, the biggest concern is what to do with the religious land use applications. Recent litigations in Rockland have sent shock waves throughout the communities where applications for religious uses of land […]

STATE COURT JUDGE ALLOWS DISCRIMINATION SUIT AGAINST TOWN OF HAVERSTRAW TO PROCEED

BY LEGAL LARRY State Supreme Court Judge Linda Jamieson recently ruled that a sexual discrimination suit brought by a Town of Haverstraw employee will proceed to trial. Cheryl Croci, a long-time employee of the Town of Haverstraw, filed a lawsuit claiming damages for years of abuse she allegedly endured while working in the town’s highway […]

APPEALS COURT RULES ON CONTROVERIAL RAMAPO PROJECT

BY LEGAL LARRY Last week, an appeals court in Brooklyn may have had the final say regarding an extremely controversial development in the Town of Ramapo. The Appellate Division, Second Department in Brooklyn, New York gave what might be the last word in denying the claims of The Villages of Chestnut Ridge, Montebello, Pomona and […]

Legal Watch: Will Court Reform Ever Happen?

BY LEGAL LARRY For the past decade, high profile individuals have called for a reform of the entire court system in the State of New York. Everyone from the chief judge of the highest court to the governor has pitched a “new and improved” court system to streamline the process for litigants and save money. […]

Legal Watch

Federal Law is Changing Rockland’s Zoning Landscape BY LEGAL LARRY In 2000, Congress enacted a law known as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. This law is commonly known by the acronym “RLUIPA.” The crux of this article will focus on the first part of the law concerning religious land use. It is […]

Fair to Taxpayers? Rockland Suffers Expensive Loss in Fair Housing Case

Over 20K down the drain as taxpayers foot the bill for legal expenses in condo squabble BY LEGAL LARRY In 1968 the United States Congress passed the Fair Housing Act. The primary purpose of this legislation is to protect the buyer/renter of a residence from a seller/landlord’s discrimination. The law makes it unlawful to refuse […]