Greenberg v. Veteran Verified Petition for Removal of Action from State Court
Public Court Documents
January 18, 1989

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Brief Collection, LDF Court Filings. Greenberg v. Veteran Verified Petition for Removal of Action from State Court, 1989. 9581ec82-b49a-ee11-be36-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/19f4553c-8869-4fc9-8d75-a7d78d0576cf/greenberg-v-veteran-verified-petition-for-removal-of-action-from-state-court. Accessed July 24, 2025.
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T H O Y E R J A Y T O P K IS J O S E E. T R IA S D A V ID T . W A S H B U R N A L F R E D D . Y O U N G W O O D •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 Facsimile Transmission Form TO: ATTN: FROM: NO. OF PAGES INCL. THIS PAGE: P&uJl, llJ&SS, fc fk tn J , (AJhlbt/rh + L-‘ fjitcy u- n.rû -S . ~r-----" — Pa u I AqrtJ-h*~ ^/-■fcrnx W -j- ' «/»*//» 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