The Drama Continues: Surf Lodge Wants Charges Dismissed

Last time we checked, the drama over at Surf Lodge seemed to be nearing an end. But the trial, which has been postponed multiple times before for a variety of reasons, has been adjourned again until May 14.

The adjournment this time is due to the defense's new lawyer, Thomas Horn, who only took on the case earlier this month. In an effort to get a number of the 686 violations that Surf Lodge accumulated last summer dismissed, Horn has filed a motion.

The motion, according to Patch,

"...details that state and town laws only allow for alleged zoning code violations to be written up on a weekly basis, with each week’s continued violation to be counted as a separate one. Also, it alleges that town code restricts violations to be cited only once per week."

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Horn has pointed out that the same violations were filed against Surf Lodge multiple times in the same week, and therefore a number of them should not be valid.

Earlier this week Horn met with Justice Cahill, who has been the judge on the case since the beginning, and she urged both Horn and East Hampton's assistant attorney Robert Connelly to settle in order to avoid trial.

Connelly pointed out that he had wanted to settle back in October for $100,000, and that the offer still stands. Connelly also said that he would try to talk to Horn to come to an agreement before May 14.

But Horn doesn't seem eager to give in so easily. In a phone interview with Patch last week he said,

“It’s not about how many violations or how many dollars. It has to do with if I see a settlement that has a certain concept behind it, I’ll pursue that.”

For a while it looked like this all might come to an end before the summer, but we're not so sure anymore...

See Also:

[A Timeline Of The Surf Lodge Drama: What You Missed This Winter]