Latest news with #ManhattanSupremeCourt
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Longshot NYC mayoral candidate Michael Blake gets $2m in matching funds on eve of primary
Mayoral candidate Michael Blake has secured $2 million in public matching funds approved by the city's Campaign Finance Board — a significant but belated cash infusion for the longshot campaign. With just five days left in the primary race, the new cash influx infusion likely comes too late for Blake, a former Bronx assemblyman, to mount a competitive campaign or significantly raise his profile. The decision comes after the Democrat sued the CFB for its refusal to allow him to participate in the second and final mayoral debate last week. The board in late May ruled that Blake would not be participating in the debate because he hadn't met the fundraising threshold to qualify for it, and a Manhattan Supreme Court justice backed up their decision. Blake's campaign argued in their suit that he had, in fact, met that threshold, and that the CFB's system errors mistakenly made it seem that he hadn't. The candidate garnered some attention with a lively performance at the first debate at the start of June, and climbed onto some endorsement slates after State Sen. Jessica Ramos, another mayoral candidate all but removed herself from consideration when she endorsed Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He also cross-endorsed Zohran Mamdani earlier this week as part of a braoder attempt to block Cuomo from the mayoralty. Blake received 2% of the vote in a recent Marist poll. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Former NY gov David Paterson sues brother for stealing $7 m
Cain and Abel, meet David and Daniel. Ex-New York Gov. David Paterson is accusing his brother of cheating him out of his inheritance — by allegedly tricking their elderly mother into giving him over $7 million before her death. A bombshell lawsuit filed by the former governor claims his younger brother Daniel Paterson, 67, duped mom Portia into transferring the massive sum from her estate to his account through 'undue influence, coercion and excessive persuasion.' The sneaky move allowed Daniel and his attorney wife Eloise to bypass a long-standing will ordering the brothers to split their mom's estate 50-50 — cheating David, 71, out of some $3.5 million, the Manhattan Supreme Court suit alleges. 'She divested herself of assets in excess of $7 million by transferring [the] same to defendants prior to her death in contradiction and contravention of her long-standing last will and testament,' the court documents, filed Monday, state. 4 Former New York Gov David Paterson (left) says his brother Daniel (right) tricked their 94-year-old mother into transferring over $7 million from her estate to him, according to a new lawsuit. Robert Miller Then, after 94-year-old Portia Paterson's death in July, Daniel allegedly tried to claim that their mom died with less than $30,000 to her name in a checking account and an 'inoperable' BMW, the suit alleges. The 55th Governor — a Democrat who was in office between 2008-2010 — is suing his brother, sister-in-law and two nephews for his alleged at least $3.5 million share of Portia's estate. 'There was a conspiracy to conceal that Portia's assets were transferred before her death,' said the former gov's attorney, Paul W. Siegert. 'She had a huge estate. 4 Lt Gov Basil Paterson and wife Portia at fund raising party for peace candidates, at 'Pembles' in 1970. She passed away last July at 94. Jerry Engel/NY Post 'Everybody kept it a secret,' Siegert said, 'then we found out about it.' Daniel, who has worked for the state court system's office of diversity and inclusion, told a reporter that 'this must be a scam call' when reached by phone Tuesday, and quickly hung up. He did not return repeated messages asking for comment. Portia Paterson was married for 61 years to Basil Paterson, who was the first black vice chair of the National Democratic Party, and the first black secretary of state of New York. 4 The former governor's lawsuit alleges that leading up to her death, Daniel and his attorney wife Eloise (center) tricked the 94-year-old to transfer millions through 'undue influence, coercion and excessive persuasion.' AP She was a longtime school teacher at P.S. 116 in Jamaica, a guidance counselor at Queens College, and was a known advocate for disabled students like her son David, who is legally blind. The ex-gov claims he only learned about the alleged 'unjust enrichment' last month after Daniel filed an affidavit to settle his mother's estate in surrogate's court. David's attorney then said he got a notice from the court, leading to the shocking discovery that his brother was claiming their late mother only had a $27,000 bank account and an 'inoperable' 2011 BMW 5-series valued at $2,000. On top of that, the affidavit claimed $8,500 in funeral expenses to be subtracted from the estate. That means the former governor's share of what was once his mother's sizable estate would be a mere $10,250. 4 Basil Paterson, his wife Portia, and their sons Daniel and David at JFK airport in 1970. Vic DeLucia/NY Post 'Even Portia's lawyer of 30 years – who wrote her will – did not know that Portia had transferred $7,000,000 in assets,' Siegert said. Daniel, the executor of Portia's estate, allegedly never even notified her estate lawyers of her death, Siegert claimed. 'How could she die in July of 2024, and we only find out almost a year later that her will was not being probated and then out of the blue, we get a notice from the surrogate's court that her net estate is $21,500,' the attorney said. 'Draw your own conclusions.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge blocks NYC mayor's office from bringing ICE agents onto Rikers Island
NEW YORK — A Manhattan Supreme Court justice on Friday blocked the Adams administration from bringing federal immigration officers onto Rikers Island. The preliminary injunction will prevent agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies from setting up shop at the jail complex until the case, filed by the New York City Council against the mayor and his administration, is resolved. 'New York City, which thrives as a global hub due in large part to its reputation as being a welcoming home for immigrant communities from around the world, risks having this goodwill and invaluable reputation irreparably damaged as a result of an Executive Order borne out of Mayor Adams' alleged conflict of interest,' Justice Mary Rosado wrote in her decision. The mayor's top deputy, Randy Mastro, signed an executive order in April to give the green light to federal agents to operate offices on Rikers. The Council filed the suit challenging it a week later, arguing that the order was unlawful and the 'poisoned fruit' of a corrupt deal with the Trump administration. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is currently running for mayor, said in a statement that the decision was a 'victory' that would protect New Yorkers from Trump's immigration 'overreach.' 'New Yorkers are counting on our city to protect their civil rights, and yet, Mayor Adams has attempted to betray this obligation by handing power over our city to Trump's ICE because he is compromised,' she said. 'This attempted corrupt bargain to allow ICE to set up a center on Rikers would only make our city, and all New Yorkers, less safe.' 'We disagree with the judge's decision, and we remain confident we will ultimately prevail in this case,' Mastro said in a statement. 'At no point does the judge dispute that the substance of our executive order fully complies with local law — that's because it does. Furthermore, there is no actual conflict of interest here, and the mayor responded to the appearance of a conflict by delegating this issue to me as his first deputy mayor — whom the judge herself described as an 'accomplished and highly educated attorney' — and I acted entirely independently of the mayor.' Trump's deportation efforts in New York have ramped up in recent weeks, with agents lurking in the city's immigration courthouses to arrest immigrants checking in for routine court proceedings in their asylum cases. The mayor's attorneys have argued that any risks of imminent harm are no more than speculation. The judge wrote that she found that argument 'disingenuous.' 'It is akin to the police telling a 911 caller that they will not assist a victim who calls while a burglar attempts to enter her house but will be helped once the burglar enters her house,' Rosado wrote. The judge also wrote that the Council was likely to succeed in showing that, at the very least, the mayor appeared to be executing a corrupt deal with the Trump administration by agreeing to bring ICE back onto Rikers. The mayor was indicted on bribery charges in September, and was set to go on trial in April until President Trump's Department of Justice ordered the charges dropped, in part because they impeded Adams' ability to help carry out the president's hardline immigration agenda. That directive prompted waves of resignations within Manhattan Federal Court, including that of then-U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon — who alleged there was a quid pro quo between Adams and Trump. Murad Awawdeh, the president of the New York Immigration Coalition, said that the ruling would prevent 'thousands' of those in pretrial detention at Rikers from being deported: 'New York City should not be in the business of carrying out Donald Trump's mass disappearance agenda, which is in fact illegal under our local laws,' Awawdeh said. ________
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge blocks Adams admin from bringing ICE agents onto Rikers Island
A Manhattan Supreme Court justice on Friday blocked the Adams administration from bringing federal immigration officers onto Rikers Island. The preliminary injunction will prevent agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies from setting up shop at the jail complex until the case, filed by the New York City Council against the mayor and his administration, is resolved. 'New York City, which thrives as a global hub due in large part to its reputation as being a welcoming home for immigrant communities from around the world, risks having this goodwill and invaluable reputation irreparably damaged as a result of an Executive Order borne out of Mayor Adams' alleged conflict of interest,' Justice Mary Rosado wrote in her decision. The mayor's top deputy, Randy Mastro, signed an executive order in April to give the green light to federal agents to operate offices on Rikers. The Council filed the suit challenging it a week later, arguing that the order was unlawful and the 'poisoned fruit' of a corrupt deal with the Trump administration. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is currently running for mayor, said in a statement that the decision was a 'victory' that would protect New Yorkers from Trump's immigration 'overreach.' 'New Yorkers are counting on our city to protect their civil rights, and yet, Mayor Adams has attempted to betray this obligation by handing power over our city to Trump's ICE because he is compromised,' she said. 'This attempted corrupt bargain to allow ICE to set up a center on Rikers would only make our city, and all New Yorkers, less safe.' 'We disagree with the judge's decision, and we remain confident we will ultimately prevail in this case,' Mastro said in a statement. 'At no point does the judge dispute that the substance of our executive order fully complies with local law — that's because it does. Furthermore, there is no actual conflict of interest here, and the mayor responded to the appearance of a conflict by delegating this issue to me as his first deputy mayor — whom the judge herself described as an 'accomplished and highly educated attorney' — and I acted entirely independently of the mayor.' Trump's deportation efforts in New York have ramped up in recent weeks, with agents lurking in the city's immigration courthouses to arrest immigrants checking in for routine court proceedings in their asylum cases. The mayor's attorneys have argued that any risks of imminent harm are no more than speculation. The judge wrote that she found that argument 'disingenuous.' 'It is akin to the police telling a 911 caller that they will not assist a victim who calls while a burglar attempts to enter her house but will be helped once the burglar enters her house,' Rosado wrote. The judge also wrote that the Council was likely to succeed in showing that, at the very least, the mayor appeared to be executing a corrupt deal with the Trump administration by agreeing to bring ICE back onto Rikers. The mayor was indicted on bribery charges in September, and was set to go on trial in April until President Trump's Department of Justice ordered the charges dropped, in part because they impeded Adams' ability to help carry out the president's hardline immigration agenda. That directive prompted waves of resignations within Manhattan Federal Court, including that of then-U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon — who alleged there was a quid pro quo between Adams and Trump. Murad Awawdeh, the president of the New York Immigration Coalition, said that the ruling would prevent 'thousands' of those in pretrial detention at Rikers from being deported: 'New York City should not be in the business of carrying out Donald Trump's mass disappearance agenda, which is in fact illegal under our local laws,' Awawdeh said.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein NYC trial judge calls mistrial in accuser Jessica Mann's rape case
Chaos in the jury room led a judge Thursday to call a mistrial for the one remaining charge against disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein, a rape allegation by one-time actress Jessica Mann a day after he was found guilty of sexually assault in his Manhattan retrial. After an eight-week trial in Manhattan Supreme Court, jurors found Weinstein, 73, guilty of criminal sex act against former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, but acquitted him of the same charge against a second accuser, Polish model Kaja Sokola. But the jury couldn't reach a decision on the third accuser, one-time actress Jessica Mann, and the jury foreman refused to rejoin his fellow jurors after reporting Wednesday that he felt threatened by one of them telling him he'd 'see me outside.' The mistrial means prosecutors will have to decide whether to pursue Mann's allegations at a third trial, again subjecting her to days of direct testimony and cross-examination on the witness stand. Mann testified at Weinstein's 2020 trial as well. Deliberations went off the skids when it came to Mann, with the jury foreman asking on three separate occasions to speak to the judge and attorneys away from his fellow jurors. The foreman on Wednesday told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber that another juror had threatened him, 'You gonna see me outside' during a shouting match, because he wouldn't change his position. That led to calls for a mistrial by Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, who said the juror was the victim of a crime and the judge should call 911. Farber released the jury for the day and asked them to return Thursday, but not before asking if they had reached a verdict in any of the charges — and they had, regarding Haley and Sokola. Later, the foreman told Farber that the jury had reached a decision on Haley and Sokola days earlier, on Friday, and their decision was unanimous. When the judge asked him if he'd been coerced, he said 'no,' and responded, 'My own decision.' The foreman said he'd be willing to return to the court building, but didn't commit to rejoining his fellow jurors in the jury room. Mann accused Weinstein of raping her in 2013, but said she maintained a complicated relationship with the film producer for years after. Haley and Sokola said Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on them in separate incidents in 2006. Weinstein was charged with third-degree rape regarding Mann, which is punishable by up to four years in prison. The criminal sex act charge he was convicted up is a far more serious offense, and carries a maximum 25-year sentence. Criminal sex act, which used to be called sodomy, involves forced anal or oral sex. Mann and Haley also took the stand in Weinstein's 2020 trial, which ended in a guilty verdict and a 23-year prison sentence. But last year, the New York State Court of Appeals overturned that conviction, saying the trial judge should have never allowed other women whose allegations were not included in the charges to testify against him and establish a pattern of predatory behavior. Regardless of the trial's outcome, Weinstein wasn't going to go free — he was sentenced to 16 years behind bars after his conviction at a 2022 trial in Los Angeles on separate rape and sexual assault charges.
