Jackson Mayor Mike Reina has been dropped as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Jackson residents over a land swap deal orchestrated by the Mayor.
The lawsuit was filed by residents in the area of White Street in Jackson after Reina successfully negotiated a land swap deal – later voted on and approved by the Jackson Twp. Council – with developer Mordy Eichorn. The deal would have Eichorn give up his parcel of land on Leesville Road – on which he had received approval for schools to be built. In exchange, the township would give Eichorn land near White Street.
The deal prompted residents to file a lawsuit in which they argued with tortured logic that the deal was discriminatory against Jews. The Jackson Township Council, Mayor Reina, and Mordy Eichorn were named as defendants in the lawsuit.
The residents behind the lawsuit have been roundly criticized by numerous leading rabbanim stunned that fellow yidden would sue to block Jewish schools from being built.
On Friday, Jackson Township Attorney Jerry Dassi filed a frivolous litigation motion to dismiss on behalf of Reina. The motion argues that the lawsuit lacks any arguable basis either in law or in fact against Reina.
The motion places the burden of proof back on those who filed the lawsuit and comes with severe penalties: if the residents can’t show that their suit isn’t frivolous, they’d be on the hook for all of Reina’s legal expenses.
Almost immediately, the residents dropped Reina as a lawsuit defendant.
Sources tell Lakewood Alerts that additional lawsuit defendants will be filing frivolous litigation motions to dismiss, putting the residents in a bind over whether it’s worth it to pay up for others’ legal expenses, considering the weakness of their arguments.
לא היה ולא נברא,
Reina filed a Motion and demanded his dismissal. The Plaintiffs did not yet respond to the motion which is returnable May 12.
Either way, Reina is only being sued in his official capacity as Mayor. As long as the Township is still a Defendant in the Complaint, it makes no difference whether Reina remains named as well.