N.J. Supreme Court denies Bloomfield eminent domain appeal

The New Jersey Supreme Court denied certification to the Township of Bloomfield in its effort to advance an appeal in the 110 Washington Street case. The Appellate Division of the Superior Court unanimously upheld the decision of Essex County Assignment Judge Patricia Costello, who dismissed the condemnation suit. Bloomfield has now exhausted the appeal process in New Jersey.

This case is over, but the other Bloomfield litigants in the matter of Lardieri et al v.Township of Bloomfield continue to fight the township's efforts to blight and acquire the small business owners' properties by eminent domain proceedings. This matter has been assigned to Judge Patricia Costello, the same judge who decided the 110 Washington Street case.

In the past year, we have seen Toll Brothers, a national builder of residential units, pull out of the Bloomfield project. Forest City Ratner remains the designated developer for Bloomfield and continues to bear the litigation costs, which are reported by the Independent Press to exceed $410,000 to date. Judge Costello will schedule a case management conference on the Lardieri matter shortly.