Latest on the Floyd Bennett Court Hearing

The first day of courtroom hearings regarding the Floyd Bennet Field case was a productive one, as lawyers from both sides met and laid out the timelines going forward. According to the details hammered out during the December 20 hearing, city and state lawyers have filed a motion to completely dismiss the case. The plaintiffs will now have until January 4 to respond to these latest attempts to dismiss, and in-person arguments will move forward on January 18. An attempt by the city and the state to push the hearing back further into February was also defeated on the floor by plaintiff attorney John Ciampoli.

“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,” said Councilwoman Joann Ariola. “On January 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.”

“This is normal procedure,” explained attorney and NYS Senate candidate Michael O’Reilly, who has been closely monitoring the case. “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.”

“Like many of my constituents, I am deeply disappointed to see yet another delaying tactic from city and state lawyers,” said Assemblywoman Jaime Williams. “That said, I am glad that we were able to fend off their attempt to move in-person arguments to February, and I am looking forward to finally resolving this issue once and for all.”