ENEWSLETTER: February 2016
Civil Rights and Personal Injury and General Practice Law Firm, Dedicated to Social Justice
The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington is a well-respected litigation firm with an office in Hempstead, Long Island. Our focus is primarily in the area of civil rights, voting rights, employment discrimination, police misconduct, personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death and criminal law. However, the Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington is a full- service law firm handling matters in numerous areas of law and providing a wide range of services from contract formation to litigation and trial practice.
RECENT VERDICTS AND SETTLEMENTS
$7.75 million- Civil Rights and wrongful death action brought by the family of deceased
$4.7 million- Repeated verbal and physical assaults on Yemeni-American employee, while supervisor failed to protect employee and discipline the assailant
$1.277 million- Race based attack and serious injury by violent acts against Plaintiffs, who were lured to an isolated warehouse
$2.8 million- Wrongful death, products liability case involving a tow motor accident at a sewage treatment plant
NYS Education Department Denies Hempstead School Board's Appeal To Overturn Election Results
The New York State Department of Education has denied an appeal by the Hempstead School District Board of Education to invalidate the election results which named Maribel Touré and Gwendolyn Jackson as the winners. The court found that the claims that the two candidates engaged in financial misconduct and electioneering were unsupportable. Frederick K. Brewington represented Ms. Touré and Ms. Jackson during the appeal.
On May 19, 2015, Ms. Touré and Ms. Jackson were elected to the Hempstead School District Board of Education with 678 and 500 votes, respectively. The following day, the board held a special meeting, in which they voted to annul the election results and decided to appeal to the New York State Education Department. On July 1, 2015, the appeal was denied.
The board filed another appeal to have the results annulled. In its petition, the board claimed that Ms. Touré and Ms. Jackson submitted campaign expenditure reports containing improprieties and other irregularities. The Education Department ruled that, even if that were the case, it would not have affected the election. The board also accused both candidates of electioneering in front of the school and unduly influencing Spanish-speaking residents to vote for Ms. Touré and Ms. Jackson. However, the board failed to produce any specifics, any evidence or the names of any persons they claimed to be involved in this alleged incident; as a result, the Education Department denied the appeal. Claims of electioneering were also not proven; the Education Department also ruled that there was no proof that, even if the alleged electioneering occurred, it influenced the outcome of the election.
On February 16, 2016, New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, wrote in her decision: "In light of the fact that both the district's 2014 and 2015 elections have now been subject to challenge, I remind the district and the board of their obligation to comply with the decision and order in Appeal of Touré, et al., including the obligation to conduct all school board elections in accordance with all applicable provisions of law and regulation, and I urge the district and the board to take all steps necessary to ensure that such controversy does not continue and that the district's leadership and resources are focused on the paramount goal of providing successful outcomes for students."
556 Peninsula Blvd., Hempstead, New York 11550 | Phone: 516-489-6959 | Fax: 516-489-6958
Attorney Advertising
DISCLAIMER: THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS
LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY MATTER. LEGAL COUNSEL SHOULD BE CONSULTED FOR ADVICE REGARDING ANY MATTER.
COPYRIGHT © 2016 BY LAW OFFICES OF FREDERICK K. BREWINGTON