Judge orders Ramapo to limit Reimer s hearing
State Supreme Court judge ordered Ramapo this week to limit the questioning against a suspended Ramapo town finance employee, supporting her claim that the town s use of hearing was improper.
RAMAPO A state Supreme Court judge ruled Ramapo was going too far in its questioning of a suspended finance employee about her intention to sue the town for defamation.
Melissa Reimer, Ramapo s supervisor of fiscal services, filed a notice of clpatagonia discount code northern0aim against the town last year, arguing it unreasonably blamed her for an unfavorable financial review by the state Comptroller s Office.
Reimer is facing possible termination as misconduct related charges against her were upheld by the town s hearing officers.
Reimer s testimony during disciplinary hearings indicated she might have been a whistleblower in an ongoing fedpatagonia discount code northern3eral investigation into town finances, thopatagonia hooded guide jacketugh she wouldn t confirm it.
The town held a hearing Oct. 1 to question Reimer about her defamationpatagonia better sweater vest stonewash claims. The town s attorney raised his voice and threatened that her case would be dismissed if she didn t answer his questions, according to patagonia discount code northern2court documents submitted by Fred Lichtmacher, Reimer s lawyer. One particular question was asked over 10 times, he wrote. At the end of the Oct. 1 hearing, the town told her it would need two more days to complete the questioning.
Reimer then sought court intervention.
In his decision issued Thursday, Justice Victor Alfieri wrote that at the Oct. 1 hearing, the town was delving into apatagonia discount code northern1reas that clearly go beyond the statutory purpose of the hearing, which should not be an opportunity for the town to determine what evidence exists that may or may notpatagonia discount code northern support Reimer s claims.
Lichtmacher said the decision vindicated Reimer.
This is exactly the way the system is supposed to wopatagonia everlong review 360rk, Lichtmacher said. He s a very fair, very even handed patagonia everlong review gravityjudge, protpatagonia everlong review ipadecting the little guy against the very oppressive government actor.
Alfieri ordered that Reimer s hearing be resumed and be patagonia everlong review ztecompleted within 30 dpatagonia everlong review 3 daysays of his decision. The hearing should end within six hours in one day and questions be limited to facts that resulted in her filing the notice of claim.
Steven Stern with Sokoloff Stern LLP, an attorney representing the town, said he was pleased with the decision.
The judge gave me an additional six hours of questioning, which should allow me to complete this examination if she s not as evasive as she s been, Stern said. Then if they file a lawsuit . we ll have the opportunity to conducpatagonia houdini jacket auctiont the full discovery that we npatagonia interstate hat new eraeed and show that the town did absolutely nothing wrong here. .
