Demolition leads to lawsuit

Contractor of court site sues Monticello

In October 2013, Mayor Gordon Jenkins, left, looks at debris where the old village court building in Monticello once stood. Jenkins' decision to have it torn down has triggered several controversies.Times Herald-Record file photo

By Leonard Sparks

Published: 2:00 AM - 01/04/14

MONTICELLO The wreckage from Mayor Gordon Jenkins' ill-fated decision to demolish Monticello's old village court continues to grow.

First, the state Department of Environmental Conservation arrested six people for illegal dumping, and then the state Department of Labor halted removal of the debris because of asbestos.

Now the demolition contractor company's owner, who was arrested along with five other people for dumping debris on Fairground Road, is suing the village because his company, Sams Property Management, has not received its $5,000 fee.

In a handwritten complaint filed in village court, Sam Kearney claims Jenkins told him the court building was free of asbestos prior to the demolition.

Kearney also says the village failed to pay bills he submitted for heavy equipment he rented. Daily charges for the equipment, including an excavator, accumulated while the DOL prohibited anything from leaving the site.

Kearney is seeking $196,333 plus interest, although the case will likely have to be moved to Supreme Court because of the amounts involved.

Original post:
Demolition leads to lawsuit