Greenberg v. Veteran Verified Petition for Removal of Action from State Court

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(212) 373-3433

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January 18, 1989

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•N O T AD M ITTED  T O  NEW YORK BAR. 
-C O N S E IL  JU R ID IQ U E IN  FRANCE ONLY.

Andrew M . Cuomo 
2 Park Avenue, Suite 1415 
New York, NY 10016
Edward A. Hailes 
General Counsel 
NAACP Special Contribution 

Fund4805 Mount Hope Drive 
Baltimore, MD 21215-3297
Jack Boger
Sherrilyn Ifill
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
99 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10013
Susan Jacobs, Esq.
Department of Law 
120 Broadway, 23rd FI.
New York, NY 10271

Jones v.
Dear Counsel:

Robert M. Hayes 
Virginia Shubert 
National Coalition for the Homeless 
105 East 22nd Street 
New York, NY 10010
Laura Blackburne 
99 Hudson Street, 11th FI. New York, NY 10013
Karl Bertrand 
Coalition for the Homeless 

in Westchester 
201 Palisade Avenue 
Yonkers, NY 10703
Marc Altheim
NYS Housing Finance Agency 
3 Park Avenue - 33rd FI. 
New York, NY 10016

Deutsch

Enclosed please find a copy of Paul Agresta's removal petition.
Sincerely,

alcK C&L
Melinda S. Levine

/cc
Enclosure
BY HAND & FEDERAL EXPRESS



JAN 13 '89 11:09 P. 1/6

TOWN of GREENBURGH
Post Office Box 205 

Elmsford, New York 10523 FAX#: (914)993-1554
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«/»*//» II a inDATE &. TIME:



JAN 18 '89 l i : i 0 P.2/S

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK---------------------------------- X
INDEX NO.

In the Matter of the Application of 89 Civ. _____Myles Greenberg and Frances M. Mulligan, proponents of a petition to incorporate
the Village of Mayfair Knollwood, Verified PetitionFor Removal OfPetitioners, Action From

State Court______
For a Judgment pursuant to New York CPLR Article 78,

- against -
Anthony F. Veteran, Supervisor of the Town of Greenburgh, New York, Susan Tolchin,Town Clerk of the Town of Greenburgh,
New York, and (See annexed list of additional Respondents),

Respondents.
X

TO THE HONORABLE JUDGES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT 
OF NEW YORK:

Respondents Anthony F. Veteran, Supervisor of the Town 
of Greenburgh, and Susan Tolchin, Town Clerk of the Town of 
Greenburgh, by their attorney, Paul Agresta, Town Attorney 
for the Town of Greenburgh, respectfully allege as follows:

1. This proceeding was commenced in the Supreme Court 
of the State of New York, County of Westchester, by service 
of a copy of the Notice of Petition signed December 14,
1988, Verified Petition and Petitioners’ Memorandum of Law 
signed December 13, 1988 on the Town Clerk of the Town of 
Greenburgh at the Greenburgh Town Hall, Town of Greenburgh, 
Elmsford, New York on December 29, 1988. Upon information 
and belief all additional respondents listed were, according



JAN 16 '85 11:10 P.3/'6

to Village Law Section 2-210(4), served with copies of same 
by certified mail and are parties to the proceeding.

2. This Verified Petition for Removal of Action from 
State Court is being filed within 30 days after service of 
the Notice of Petition and Verified Petition upon the 
respondents to this proceeding. Thus, this removal petition 
is timely filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Section 1446(b).
Copies of the Notice of Petition, Verified Petition, and 
Petitioners’ Memorandum of Law are annexed in accordance 
with 28 U.S.C. Section 1446(a), as Exhibit B. These papers 
are the only papers served upon the respondents in this 
proceeding.

3. Petitioners Myles Greenberg and Frances M.
Mulligan allege in paragraph two of the Verified Petition 
that they are residents of the Town of Greenburgh, New York, 
in the Southern District of New York, and reside in the 
territory sought to be incorporated as the proposed village 
of Mayfair Knollwood.

4. Respondent Anthony F. Veteran is the duly elected 
Supervisor of the Town of Greenburgh, New York.

5. Respondent Susan Tolchin is the duly elected Town 
Clerk of the Town of Greenburgh, New York.

6. Upon information and belief, all of the additional 
respondents are objectors to the petition to form the 
proposed village and are residents of the Town of 
Greenburgh, New York.

- 2 -



JAM 18 '89 li:il P. 4 / 6

7. Pursuant to Village Law Section 2-202, a petition 
proposing the incorporation of the Village of Mayfair 
Knollwood within the Town of Greenburgh was filed with the 
Town of Greenburgh on or about September 14, 1988. Pursuant 
to Village Law Sections 2-204 and 2-206, a public hearing 
was held on the proposed village where objectors had an 
opportunity to and did submit both oral and written 
objections to the petition proposing the new village.

8. Pursuant to Village Law Section 2-208, the 
Supervisor is required to render a decision as to the legal 
sufficiency of the petition.

9. Respondent Veteran, in a decision dated December 
1, 1988, rejected the petition proposing the incorporation 
of the proposed village of Mayfair Knollwood. Supervisor 
Veteran rejected the petition on the basis both that is was 
not legally sufficient according to several grounds 
enumerated in Village Law Section 2—206, and that the 
proposed village would result in racial discrimination and 
the violation of civil rights under the Constitution and 
laws of the United States of America and the Constitution of 
the State of New York. Supervisor Veteran's decision states 
that the boundaries of the proposed village are 
gerrymandered in such a way as to constitute a blatant 
attempt at racial discrimination, and that the intent of 
those seeking the incorporation of the proposed village is 
to prevent the construction of transitional housing for

- 3 -



JAN IB '89 11:12 P.5 "6

homeless families, the majority of which would be made up of 
blacks and other racial minorities.

10. Pursuant to Village Law Section 2-210, a resident 
of the area encompassing the proposed village may seek 
review of a supervisor's decision adverse to a village 
petition by means of a special proceeding pursuant to 
Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules of the State 
of New York. Petitioners Myles Greenberg and Frances M. 
Mulligan in paragraph 1 of the Verified Petition allege that 
they seek such a review in the instant proceeding.

11. This action may be removed to this Court by 
respondents, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Section 1443(2).

12. There is currently pending in United States 
District Court for the Southern District of New York a 
related civil action before Judge Goettel, Case number 88 
Civ 7738 (GLG), entitled Yvonne Jones, et al. v. Lawrence 
Deutsch, et al., brought by the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People, the National Coalition for 
the Homeless, and other plaintiffs, against the proposed 
village incorporators and Supervisor Veteran seeking 
declaratory and injunctive relief and monetary damages to 
prevent the incorporation of the proposed village on the 
grounds that the incorporation sought is for the purposes of 
racial discrimination and discrimination against homeless 
persons and is part of a conspiracy to abridge the voting 
rights, housing rights, and emergency shelter rights of 
black and homeless persons Plaintiffs in that action seek a

- 4



J H11 ID  G? 1 1 * 1 0

ruling declaring that defendant Veteran has the right and 
obligation under the Constitution and laws of the United 
States and the State of New York to deny the petition for 
the proposed incorporation on those grounds.

13. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1446(d), respondents are 
filing herewith and present to this Court a cash bond 
conditioned that they will pay all costs and disbursements 
incurred by reason of this removal proceeding should it be 
determined that this action is not removable or is 
improperly removed.

Accordingly, respondents respectfully request that this 
action, now pending against them in Supreme Court of the 
State of New York, County of Westchester, be removed to this 
Court.
Dated: Elmsford, New YorkJanuary , 1989

PAUL AGRESTA 
Town Attorney 
Town of Greenburgh 
P.O. Box 205Elmsford, New York 10523 
(914) 993-1546

- 5 -



(212) 373-3234 December 6, 1988

Hon. Gerard L. Goettel 
United States District Court for the 
Southern District of New York 

U.S. Courthouse 
101 East Post Road 
White Plains, New York 10601

Jones v. Deutsch
88 Civ. 7738 (GLG^ fS.D.N.Y.I

Dear Judge Goettel:
I am writing to confirm my telephone application, 

pursuant to which Your Honor adjourned sine die the pretrial 
conference in this action, noticed for December 13, 1988. As 
I advised Your Honor's chambers, the answering time for all 
defendants other than defendant Veteran (who has answered) 
has been extended to December 19. It is my understanding 
that some or possibly all defendants other than defendant 
Veteran intend, at that time, to serve motions directed to 
the complaint. No motion papers have yet been served, 
however.

Respectfully,

Jay L. Himes

cc: All counsel