Suffolk judge assigned to Schnirman lawsuit

Nassau Comptroller Jack Schnirman


Nassau Comptroller Jack Schnirman nearly got his wish.

Schnirman, a former Long Beach City Manager, had formally requested that a City of Long Beach lawsuit accusing him of fraud and conspiracy be moved out of Nassau County and into New York City because Long Beach Councilman Scott Mandel works in the Nassau courts system.

Schnirman contends that Mandel, a fellow Democrat, was "the driving force" behind the lawsuit that alleges Schnirman breached his duties as city manager by approving excessive separation and "drawdown" payments to some employees while accepting more in termination pay than allowed by city charter or his work contract. Schnirman repaid the extra $53,000 he received.

The city is demanding Schnirman pay no less than $1.5 million plus punitive damages. Schnirman served as Long Beach city manager from 2012 through 2017 before taking office in Jan. 2018 as Nassau's newly elected county comptroller.

Schnirman and his attorneys contended in legal papers that hearing his case in Nassau would give "the appearance of impropriety" because Mandel had been a law clerk to a former Nassau Supreme Court justice and currently works in the court's law department. 

New York's Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Vito Caruso issued an order entered yesterday that assigns Justice Joseph Santorelli of the Suffolk Supreme Court to hear the case against Schnirman.

Caruso, who oversees all courts outside of New York City, also assigned Santorelli to handle the city's lawsuit against Long Beach's former Corporation Council and acting City Manager Rob Agostisi. The city also accuses Agostisi of fraud, conspiracy and breach of duties in regard to the payouts. 

Santorelli was elected to Suffolk Supreme Court in 2011, running on the Republican and Conservative party lines.

It was not clear if Santorelli will hear the cases in Suffolk or in Nassau.

Court spokesman Dan Bagnuola said, "To avoid the appearance of impropriety and to ensure the transparency and integrity of the matters before the court , the cases have been administratively assigned to Justice Joseph A. Santorelli."

                                                                       


 

 



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