MONROE – The Monroe man who sued Senator James Skoufis (D, Cornwall) over the lawmaker’s blocking them from his Facebook page has lost its appeal. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a lower court decision that dismissed the suit submitted by Eli Wagschal found that “the totality of circumstances since Wagschal filed his complaint indicate that Senator Skoufis has learned his lesson.”
The Wagschal family had wanted to create a new Hasidic village of Seven Springs carved out of the Town of Monroe and when Skoufis publicly opposed it, Eli Wagschal went on a tirade against him with what Skoufis called “incendiary and derogatory comments” on his Facebook page.
Wagschal had suit seeking monetary damages for being blocked on Facebook, but in March 2020, the Southern District of New York ruled to completely dismiss his claims. He then appealed before the Circuit Court of Appeals, which said there was no basis for his claims and upheld the lower court decision.
“It’s reassuring to know that the courts were once again able to see through this flagrant lawsuit,” said the senator. “If the Wagschals want to continue wasting their time and money on frivolous lawsuits, that’s their prerogative, but I won’t be intimidated and I won’t back down from my opposition to their offensive, self-serving Village of Seven Springs proposal.”
