How To Vote in New York

by Jordan Karpoff and Jeffrey M. Wice

Election Day — November 5, 2024 — is fast-approaching. In New York. The last day to register to vote in this year’s elections is October 26. 

Once you are registered to vote, you can vote in-person during the eight-day early voting period or on Election Day, or you can vote by mail through the ‘absentee voting’ process. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day or <Read More>


City Sues Building Owners for Failure to Fix Facades and Take Down Sidewalk Sheds in Clinton

On July 22, 2024, the New York City Department of Buildings and the New York City Law Department commenced a lawsuit against Windermere Properties LLC, Windermere Holdings LLC, and Mark Tress. The city alleges these property owners of the buildings in the Clinton area of Manhattan (400, 402, 404, 406 West 57th Street and 869 9th Avenue) have neglected their buildings since they were purchased in 2009 by treating the sidewalk sheds as additions to … <Read More>


New York Redistricting: What Happened and Where Are We Going?

By Jeffrey M. Wice and Piper Benedict

New York State’s redistricting process following the 2020 Census failed to live up to the reforms envisioned by voters who endorsed the 2014 constitutional changes. Instead, the redistricting process proved unworkable, missed constitutional deadlines, and resulted in judicially-imposed districts. The time to fix the state’s redistricting process starts now, before the 2030 redistricting cycle gets underway.


License revoked for fatal injury

General contractor with riggers license violated multiple Building Code provisions on construction job where worker fell from unpermitted scaffolding. Wayne Bellet contracted to perform brick façade work on a six-story building located at 880 St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan. Bellet commenced the brick façade work after his subcontractor constructed a 50-foot-tall supported scaffold and Bellet. On June 22, 2019, a worker fell off the supported scaffold at the location and died.


Laundry operator held liable

Laundry operator installed gas dryers that failed to meet Building code in the laundry room of an apartment house. On February 26, 2019, Hercules Corp. leased a room from 46th Street Leaseholder LLC in a apartment building at 300 East 46th Street, Manhattan.  Under the lease, Hercules was to install and operate card-metered laundry equipment to create a running laundry room for tenants.


Condos lose special street claim

Two condominiums adjacent to Franklin Place, a mid-block alley in lower Manhattan, asked that Franklin Place be designated as a fire apparatus access road in order to prohibit parking next to condominiums. The Franklin Place Condominium, joined by the 55 White Street Condominium, filed an article 78 petition seeking to compel the New York City Fire Department to declare Franklin Street a fire apparatus access road and to install “No Parking” signs. Franklin Place is … <Read More>