Developer – Zoning Dispute with the City of Long Beach

Representing a real estate owner/developer in a high-profile dispute with the City of Long Beach, New York over zoning ordinances relating to a planned four tower residential project. In what has become one of the longest-running land use litigations in the country, Herrick helped to secure significant appellate wins, including an order permitting our client to seek damages in excess of $50 million, including interest and legal fees, against the City, and a judgment declaring it entitled to a building permit that would allow completion of the ocean front development as originally approved. In more recent rulings, the Appellate Division, Second Department held that the City had defaulted in serving an amended answer to our suit and failed to proffer a legally sufficient excuse for its default. The court further held that the individual City defendants named in our complaint should not have been dismissed from the litigation by the trial court and can therefore be held liable for damages.