Rockville Centre Letters to the Editor

Bonefish Grill decision won’t get a repeat

To the Editor:

In response to “Village in legal knot” (Jan. 29 – Feb. 4), much of this frivolous litigation can be traced back to the questionable legal decision reached by Judge Steven M. Jaeger regarding the new Bonefish Grill, on Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre.

Why is Jaeger’s decision in favor of the Bonefish Grill so questionable? Bonefish had originally agreed to terms it negotiated with the village, including limited service in response to a lack of available public parking.   

Michael Zapson is not just the attorney representing Bonefish Grill — he is also a former Democratic City Councilman of Long Beach, a former Nassau County legislator and currently the political chairman of the Long Beach Democratic Party.

Zapson was one of the nine “honorary chairs” on Jaeger’s re-election campaign who raised money for the judge in 2014. Thankfully, Jaeger lost his re-election campaign last November. But only then did he decide to rule in favor of Bonefish prior to leaving the bench on Dec. 31.

The most obvious question is, did Jaeger, aware he was stepping down from the bench, rule in favor of Bonefish as a favor to a political donor?

Why does it matter to the taxpayers of Rockville Centre? As a result of Jaeger’s suspicious and quite likely erroneous legal decision, at least two other commercial businesses will be encouraged to file suits against the village, thinking they might win. The village will have to allocate additional tax dollars to needlessly defend itself in court even if this ridiculous decision is overturned, as many people widely anticipate.