Hafez v. City of Schenectady, 758 Fed. Appx. 219 (2d Cir. 2019)
On March 20, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, dismissed an appeal by a landlord who asserted various civil rights claims against Gregg Johnson’s City clients. The Claimant landlord in this federal lawsuit challenged the City’s rental certificate ordinance and alleged that the denial of rental certificates to him violated his constitutional rights. After Mr. Johnson obtained a pre-discovery dismissal of the Complaint in March 2018 (Hafez v. City of Schenectady, U.S. Dist. LEXIS 49918 (N.D.N.Y. 2018)), the Plaintiff appealed that dismissal seeking to have the dismissal reversed and/or to obtain permission to file an amended Complaint. Following oral argument before a three-judge panel in New York City, the Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal in March 2019 thereby terminating the lawsuit and claims against Mr. Johnson’s clients.