Bill would require NYCHA to report legal expenses after arsenic scare
NYCHA released now-detracted report indicating concerning levels of Arsenic
Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, in conjunction with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, introduced legislation on Wednesday which requires NYCHA to report any outside legal expenditures.
The tenants of Jacob Riis Houses in the Lower East Side are pursuing legal action against NYCHA after it was reported that the complex’s water supply was contaminated by arsenic on Friday, Sept. 9. The test results showing arsenic were detracted by both the city and the testing company the same day.
The bill – originally introduced in 2019 – requires NYCHA to report to the mayor’s office, city council and the public, among other important information:
- The amount allocated and the amount expended by such authority on legal fees for counsel services not provided by in-house counsel, by legal matter and by property;
- The name of any outside law firm retained;
- The scope of such services provided by such provider, including the underlying cause of action, the amount paid by such authority for such services, and the date or timeframe during which such services were rendered
“We already know, we have already seen, the human cost of NYCHA’s longstanding systemic failures and untenable conditions,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams.