Federal judge rules discrimination suit against village may continue

HIGHLAND FALLS – A racial discrimination lawsuit, filed against the Village of Highland Falls and its mayor, Patrick Flynn, will continue, a judge in federal district court in White Plains has ruled.
Owners of the former Nicole’s Catering Hall sued claiming the village and mayor caused the facility to close in December 2014 after a barrage of racially motivated comments and actions.
The defendants filed a motion to dismiss the case, but the judge said there was sufficient merit to proceed to trial.
Attorney Jeffrey Feigelson is representing Nicole’s in the case.
“What we’ve said is Nicole’s has been systematically targeted in attempt to shut it down, which it succeeded in, because of the race of its customers and workers, who are primarily African-American, and the lawsuit alleges a pattern of behavior by the mayor, including derogatory and discriminatory comments,” Feigelson said.
The suit charges the mayor said the restaurant was getting the “wrong crowd” and was “attracting a large group from Spring Valley and Newburgh.” Justice Nelson Roman held that there is a “reasonable inference that the mayor’s statements are ‘code words’ for African Americans and that the defendants’ actions were motivated at least in part by the race of the plaintiff’s clientele.”
Feigelson said the relief he is seeking for his client is to have the village and mayor found guilty and be awarded “millions of dollars.”