Serving New Hyde Park, North New Hyde Park, Herricks, Garden City Park, Manhasset Hills, North Hills, Floral Park
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Friday, March 31, 2017
Vol. 66, No. 13
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HEALTH, WELLNESS & BEAUTY GUIDE
TOWN REVIEWS TEACHERS, ACTIVISTS BALL FIELD PACT PROTEST PHILLIPS
PAGES 35-46
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$625K for firefighters in federal lawsuit
C L O S E S H AV E
Jury sides with Dolans in civil rights case against NHP Fire Department; appeal possible, not definite BY N O A H M A N S K A R
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL HORAN
New Hyde Park Memorial High School student Nick Sanchez was the second student to shave his head at a March 16 fundraiser for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, sponsored by the New Hyde Park Memorial Dads’ Club. See story on page 22.
A jury on Tuesday awarded two New Hyde Park ďŹ reďŹ ghters $625,000 in damages in a federal lawsuit stemming from their 2012 arrest and subsequent removal from the New Hyde Park Fire Department. The jury in U.S. District Court in Central Islip last week found the Fire Department responsible for malicious prosecution and abuse of process against Michael Dolan Sr. and Michael Dolan Jr. after its Board of Commissioners had them wrongly arrested for stealing smoke detectors from their ďŹ rehouse. Tuesday’s verdict followed nearly four weeks of civil trial proceedings and about 10
hours of jury deliberations, Rick Ostrove, the Dolans’ attorney, said. The ruling resolves a ďŹ veyear dispute between the Fire Department and the Dolans, both volunteer ďŹ reďŹ ghters and military veterans who said they were being retaliated against for holding unpopular views. “I hope this never happens to nobody ever again,â€? Michael Dolan Sr., a 50-year ďŹ reďŹ ghter, said Wednesday during a news conference at the Carle Place oďŹƒces of Ostrove’s law ďŹ rm, Leeds Brown. “I think sometimes authority went to their head, went over their head.â€? The defendants in the case, ďŹ led in October 2013, included the New Hyde Park Fire Department, current ďŹ re Commission-
er Michael Bonura and former commissioners John DiVello, Richard Stein and John Brown. The jury awarded $150,000 in emotional damages and $30,000 in punitive damages to Michael Dolan Sr., a Vietnam War veteran; and $400,000 in emotional damages and $45,000 in punitive damages to Michael Dolan Jr., an Iraq War veteran and New York City ďŹ reďŹ ghter. The pair has spent around $200,000 on legal fees since the lawsuit began, Michael Dolan Sr. said. The defendants’ attorney, Greg Reilly of the Manhattan ďŹ rm Martin Clearwater & Bell, did not return a phone call seeking comment on the verdict. Continued on Page 75
8 local officials endorse 3rd track project proposed third track project on Friday, but several of their colEight elected oďŹƒcials from leagues remain critical. Two village mayors — includalong the Long Island Rail Road’s Main Line backed the railroad’s ing Scott Strauss of Mineola —
BY N O A H M A N S K A R
joined state, Nassau County and local town oďŹƒcials in endorsing the $2 billion plan, which has met mostly with hot opposition locally. The oďŹƒcials endorsing the project represent Mineola, Westbury and Hicksville, the eastern half of the 9.8mile project corridor that stretches west to Floral Park.
“The third track has a controversial history in Mineola — but with the governor’s latest eort, we were invited to the table to help shape the plan in a way that beneďŹ ts the village,â€? Strauss said in a statement. But another slate of oďŹƒcials restated their opposition to the plan Friday, maintaining their claims that the LIRR’s environ-
mental study is awed and should be revisited. The mayors of New Hyde Park, Floral Park and Garden City, villages in the western end of the corridor, along with state, county and town lawmakers, said their constituents deserve answers to questions they say the railroad has yet to answer. Continued on Page 75
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