Dem. leader: GOP behind Denenberg suit timing

Senate majority leader calls statements ‘baseless’ and ‘desperate’

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The chairman of the Nassau County Democratic Committee is charging that the one-time law firm of former State Senate candidate Dave Denenberg “conspired” with Republican leaders to delay filing of a lawsuit against him until the deadline to nominate a different candidate had passed.

The firm, Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, filed the lawsuit — which accused Denenberg of defrauding a client of $2.3 million — on Sept. 23, one day after the deadline for parties to finalize their nominations for New York offices. Denenberg dropped out of the Senate race three hours after DHC filed the suit.

“The Republicans knew about Dave Denenberg’s problems and what was going to happen many weeks before they allowed this announcement to be made,” said Jay Jacobs, the Democratic Committee chairman. “They did so to try to hinder our ability to put a viable candidate in place.”

Denenberg, a Nassau County legislator and Merrick Democrat, had been locked in a fierce battle for the 8th State Senate District seat with Michael Venditto, a county legislator and Massapequa Republican. That race, pundits say, could have determined the balance of power in the Senate, where neither party holds a solid majority and Republicans and Democrats share power.

DHC alleged that Denenberg systemically and fraudulently overbilled a client over eight years, and that he obtained annual bonuses from the firm based, at least in part, on those billings. DHC also alleged that Denenberg received hundreds of thousands of dollars in reimbursements from the firm for expenses that he did not actually incur.

Denenberg left DHC in June, telling Newsday that the parting was “mutual.” DHC’s suit, filed on Sept. 23 in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, states that the firm fired Denenberg. DHC is now demanding that he repay his compensation from his eight years at the firm — $3.6 million.

Jacobs said he believes Dean Skelos, the Republican co-majority leader of the State Senate and a Rockville Centre resident, played a role in the timing of DHC’s suit.

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