Oil Corporations Defeat City’s Claim

The City sued major oil companies for flood damage and climate change costs. On January 8, 2018, The City of New York filed a related lawsuit in federal court against BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobile Corporation, and Royal Dutch Shell, PC, the five largest fossil fuel producers in the world. The City alleged that the oil companies downplayed the risks of climate change and promoted the use of fossil fuels despite environmental risks. The City … <Read More>


De Blasio Administration Sues to Remove “Water-Based” Billboards from City Waterways

The City is seeking thousands of dollars per day in fines for the ongoing and repeated violations. On March 27, 2019, the Mayor’s Office announced a lawsuit against Ballyhoo Media, Inc., a water-based billboard company, for repeatedly violating local laws by displaying “Times Square-style” billboards on Manhattan and Brooklyn waterways. The billboards began popping up last Fall and are LED signs on barges, and the City alleges in the suit that the signs create a … <Read More>


Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement Brings Lawsuit Over Illegal Short-Term Rental Operation

The lawsuit claims that at least 130 apartments were converted into illegal short-term rentals. On January 14, 2019, the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement announced that it filed a lawsuit against several defendants for converting apartments in 35 residential buildings into illegal short-term rentals through websites like Airbnb. The defendants include Metropolitan Property Group (MPG), five current or former MPG employees and 18 associated corporate entities. The lawsuit was filed on January 14, 2019, in … <Read More>