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Von Ritter seeks $3M in damages from city
By Jamie Larson
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Heinrich Von Ritter is fed up with the way Hudson treats him. The business man and farmer is renewing his legal action against the city for the damages his Tanners Lane industrial property suffered due to flooding caused by the city rerouting sewer and storm drainage six years ago.
Von Ritter holds that the city owes him $3 million in damages to his property which he used mostly for heavy equipment storage and maintenance.
An affidavit has been submitted to the New York State Supreme Court stating that by not meeting a previous court agreement Hudson is in contempt of court. The city was ordered to appraise the property by Columbia County Justice Paul Czajka in March, with the expressed intention that after the appraisal the city could purchase the property from Von Ritter as a settlement for the drawn-out confrontation.
When the city announced that their appraiser had found the property had a negative value due to the cost of cleaning up the property, Von Ritter was livid. He pointed out that the assessor did not have the professional qualifications outlined by the court and that a lot of similar usage and proximity to the river in Poughkeepsie sold for $ 5 million, and he has 18 lots.
Von Ritter has been embroiled in a dispute with the city since 2002, when the newly-constructed municipal parking lot next to the Amtrak station began channeling runoff from the Kaz, Inc. and L&B Furniture properties onto his property, causing significant flooding during storms.
“I’m sick of this,” Von Ritter said Friday. “I’m looking for a fair settlement for my damages and replacement value for my property. I want out I can’t have this any more. Things are contaminated with human sewage.”
Hudson Mayor Richard Scalera said that obviously the city and Von Ritter have a different opinion of the value of the property and welcomes a trip back to court to get a decision on whose appraisal is accurate, adding that a compromise between the two is a possible outcome as well.
“Those lands, absent the other issues, would have been more valuable,” Scalera said, “but now they aren’t. We didn’t dump in washing machines, and piles of rugs and oils. We complied but he didn’t like what the appraisal initialed. It just simply needs to go back to court. We want to go back to court.”
Von Ritter said he was advised by his lawyer not to speak to the press but he feels he has a public duty to show the residents of the city how the city has wronged him. “I think my story should be public information,” Von Ritter said. “This is raw sewage on my property. I’m not trying to aggravate Czajka or Scalera, but these are facts they’re trying to hide from. I’m sick of Scalera and his conniving. If they fixed the problem on day one this suit wouldn’t be necessary.”
In a 2006 trial before Czajka, the jury found the city of Hudson negligent in its maintenance and repair of the storm sewer line running through Von Ritter’s property. Czajka ordered the city to “repair and reconstruct the storm sewer drain system to render it fully operational at its sole expense,” by Aug. 31, 2007.
The city complied, installing new sewer and clearing pipes into and out of Von Ritter’s property. But Von Ritter said that the work worsened the problem, flooding his property regularly during high tide. Von Ritter’s attorney, Brendan Baynes, said the city had been unable to find the outlet point for the storm sewer system. Drainage from the neighboring Kaz property only compounded the problem.
Von Ritter has been back to court numerous times since in continued attempts to get the city to remedy his problem. City officials continue to argue that the property is below the water table and the flooding is not their problem.
Hallie Goodman contributed to this article.
To reach reporter Jamie Larson call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
Von Ritter holds that the city owes him $3 million in damages to his property which he used mostly for heavy equipment storage and maintenance.
An affidavit has been submitted to the New York State Supreme Court stating that by not meeting a previous court agreement Hudson is in contempt of court. The city was ordered to appraise the property by Columbia County Justice Paul Czajka in March, with the expressed intention that after the appraisal the city could purchase the property from Von Ritter as a settlement for the drawn-out confrontation.
When the city announced that their appraiser had found the property had a negative value due to the cost of cleaning up the property, Von Ritter was livid. He pointed out that the assessor did not have the professional qualifications outlined by the court and that a lot of similar usage and proximity to the river in Poughkeepsie sold for $ 5 million, and he has 18 lots.
Von Ritter has been embroiled in a dispute with the city since 2002, when the newly-constructed municipal parking lot next to the Amtrak station began channeling runoff from the Kaz, Inc. and L&B Furniture properties onto his property, causing significant flooding during storms.
“I’m sick of this,” Von Ritter said Friday. “I’m looking for a fair settlement for my damages and replacement value for my property. I want out I can’t have this any more. Things are contaminated with human sewage.”
Hudson Mayor Richard Scalera said that obviously the city and Von Ritter have a different opinion of the value of the property and welcomes a trip back to court to get a decision on whose appraisal is accurate, adding that a compromise between the two is a possible outcome as well.
“Those lands, absent the other issues, would have been more valuable,” Scalera said, “but now they aren’t. We didn’t dump in washing machines, and piles of rugs and oils. We complied but he didn’t like what the appraisal initialed. It just simply needs to go back to court. We want to go back to court.”
Von Ritter said he was advised by his lawyer not to speak to the press but he feels he has a public duty to show the residents of the city how the city has wronged him. “I think my story should be public information,” Von Ritter said. “This is raw sewage on my property. I’m not trying to aggravate Czajka or Scalera, but these are facts they’re trying to hide from. I’m sick of Scalera and his conniving. If they fixed the problem on day one this suit wouldn’t be necessary.”
In a 2006 trial before Czajka, the jury found the city of Hudson negligent in its maintenance and repair of the storm sewer line running through Von Ritter’s property. Czajka ordered the city to “repair and reconstruct the storm sewer drain system to render it fully operational at its sole expense,” by Aug. 31, 2007.
The city complied, installing new sewer and clearing pipes into and out of Von Ritter’s property. But Von Ritter said that the work worsened the problem, flooding his property regularly during high tide. Von Ritter’s attorney, Brendan Baynes, said the city had been unable to find the outlet point for the storm sewer system. Drainage from the neighboring Kaz property only compounded the problem.
Von Ritter has been back to court numerous times since in continued attempts to get the city to remedy his problem. City officials continue to argue that the property is below the water table and the flooding is not their problem.
Hallie Goodman contributed to this article.
To reach reporter Jamie Larson call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
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