Lowball Watch – New York

Though our information is a bit short on details, we are reliably informed that in the case of In the Matter of Paolella, Supreme Court Richmond County, New York, Index No. 4018/07, decision filed May 7, 2012, the trial court awarded $810,000 in an eminent domain case involving wetlands, in which the city’s opinion of damages was $185,000. The award was thus over four times the city’s contention.

For the benefit of readers who are not acquainted with New York matters, over there the Supreme Court is a trial court — the lowest court of general jurisdiction (the highest New York court is called the Court of Appeals), and Richmond County is Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City.