2-minute read
Paterson NJ: A brief video history of the Silk City
Paterson is one of North Jersey’s largest cities, but what about its history? Here is more on the ‘Silk City’.
- Sayegh and his corporation counsel, Aymen Aboushi, will be required to submit to questioning by Gilmore’s lawyer, Lisa Fittipaldi.
- Fittipaldi has obtained multiple six-figure settlements in other lawsuits filed by Paterson employees against the city. Gilmore is the city’s community improvements director.
PATERSON — Mayor Andre Sayegh must provide sworn testimony in David Gilmore‘s political retaliation lawsuit against the Sayegh administration, a federal judge ruled on June 20.
Under the decision, Sayegh and his corporation counsel, Aymen Aboushi, will be required to submit to questioning by Gilmore’s lawyer, Lisa Fittipaldi, who has obtained multiple six-figure settlements in other lawsuits filed by Paterson employees against the city.
Gilmore is the city’s community improvements director.
Paterson’s attorneys had tried to prevent Sayegh and Aboushi from having to give depositions in Gilmore’s lawsuit, citing a 2008 case restricting testimony involving high-level government officials.
In what seemed to be a backup plan, the city lawyers wanted “protective order” restrictions imposed on the depositions if they were to take place.
Story continues below photo gallery
But United States Magistrate Judge Cathy Waldor ruled that the city must produce all people whom Fittipaldi wants to question in depositions without a protective order.
City must provide all documents and investigative reports
Waldor also directed city officials to comply with Fittipaldi’s request for all documents and investigation reports pertaining to series of three reprimands recently issued against Gilmore by the Sayegh administration.
“Records marked as confidential will be ‘unmarked’ and turned over in full,” says the judge’s order.
“In the event all of the above is not accomplished with expedience, corporation counsel will appear to show cause as to the reasons there is non-compliance with this order,” said the judge.
The order also covers depositions sought by Fittipaldi from Councilman Michael Jackson, Paterson Economic Development Director Tiffany Delaney-Harris, and deputy economic development director Washington Vivero.
As Paterson’s Community Improvements director, Gilmore oversees enforcement of housing maintenance laws. Gilmore has been a longtime critic of Sayegh.
In 2020, he filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Sayegh administration of retaliating against him for his enforcement efforts targeting the mayor’s political supporters. Gilmore added new charges to his complaint against city after the Sayegh administration’s attempt to fire him was overturned by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission and an administrative law judge.
