Power Struggle Averted: Lawsuit Against the Brooklyn Democratic Party by Reformer Party Dropped
The Kings County Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit filed against the Brooklyn Democratic Party that attempted to unjustly unseat thousands of County Committee members and recall five amendments to the Party Rules that allowed for greater democratic participation. The ruling came down late last week.
In Judge Edgar J. Walker’s ruling, in response to seven dismissed causes of action by the plaintiffs, the justice said, “the 13 officers elected at the December 23, 2020 organizational meeting would be inequitably affected were the court to invalidate the meeting and direct that a new meeting take place.” Furthermore, “plaintiffs have failed to name necessary parties to this action and timely joinder of these individuals is not possible given the expiration of the statute of limitations.”
“Our goal is to ensure that everyone has a voice and that our diverse County Committee members and Party Officers are elected in a fair, expedient and transparent process. We are pleased that the court agrees with us,” said Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. “A handful of geographically homogenous reformers who did not reflect the voice of Brooklyn, in an attempted power grab, tried to co-opt our democratic freedom. Now we can continue to run an organization that is transparent and progressive.”