News: Quogue Woman May Win $70 Million Lawsuit With Default Judgement
(Long Island, N.Y.)A $70 million default judgment could be awarded to a fifty-three year old resident from Quogue named Nancy Genovese for a lawsuit she filed against the Southampton Town Council. Genovese’s case made the news two years ago when she was arrested on criminal trespassing charges for attempting to photograph a “Jolly Green Giant” helicopter at the National Guard base of Gabreski Airport in West Hampton. Since then, Genovese’s case has been twisted to fit a variety of political agendas.
The misdemeanor charges against Genovese were dropped because authorities had no proof that she ever left the public area of the base where her vehicle was stationed. She was arraigned at the South Hampton Town Justice Court and spent four nights in a Suffolk County jail. Her bail was set at $50,000.
The biggest controversy of the case seems to be whether Genovese was justifiably treated as a terrorist threat for carrying a rifle and gun in her car at the time that police accosted her. Police argue that their treatment toward her was standard, based on the risk she posed against security. Adding to the scandal was the notion that Genovese is a self-claimed patriotic conservative, and says she’s been victimized by police who labeled her a tea-bagger, right-winger, and Glenn Beck supporter.
There are clearly two very opposing sides to this highly political case. Those who talked to Genovese at the base say that she was warned in the past to stay out of the area and that they’d been ordered to question anyone who approached the premises. Nonetheless, Genovese hadn’t broken any laws at the time of her arrest, ultimately leading to the dropping of all charges against her.
Police, who claim to have been on the lookout for suspicious persons, say they found hundreds of rounds of ammunition for the unloaded registered rifle and gun in Genovese’s vehicle. Genovese claims to have just come from practicing her hobby of target shooting at a nearby range. She says she was never previously warned and was photographing the base for a “Support Our Troops” webpage.
To complicate matters, Genovese was carrying $13,000 in cash, which she claims was to pay school tuition for her children, who were present at the time of the incident. Police say that there are signs prohibiting the use of cameras and other media at the base. Genovese claims that her individual rights have been violated because she was denied a lawyer and not informed she was being arrested until hours after questioning.
There have been many cases of people who have been arrested and later placed on suicide watch, straight-jacketed, and examined by a shrink before being cleared. Genovese claims this is one of many horrible things that have been inflicted on her during her time in police custody. Her experience has Long Islanders questioning at what point police action becomes excessive in similar cases. Or, are cops simply doing their jobs by being proactive against suspicious circumstances?
This case isn’t simply reflective of a bi-partisan struggle. Members of both sides of the political spectrum say that this case illustrates all the ways that civil liberties are threatened and how the fear left over from 9/11 has got the country creeping towards a military state. They insist that Genovese did not commit any crimes, that we are all innocent until proven guilty under the law, and that police have taken an oath to protect constitutional rights as well as the state.
Genovese could receive a “default judgment” due to an error made by Southampton’s Town Attorney. A town response to progress in the case was not sent by the deadline; this was seen as a forgetful mistake on behalf of the town attorney who experienced close family member deaths during the process. As a result he was asked to resign, which he did.
