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Those accused of causing a massive traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge in order to punish their political adversaries should pay commuters for the time and money that was lost that day, plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit say.
On Tuesday, New Jersey commuters who were caught in traffic in September 2013 after politicians closed two of three lanes to the bridge asked a judge to certify their class action lawsuit, Law360 reported.
Plaintiffs Robert and Joan Cohen, both retirees, allege they spent hours that day trying to cross the bridge to make a dental appointment. Another Plaintiff, Victor Cataldo, says he was late for his job at publishing company Simon & Schuster.
The plaintiffs reportedly point to a Princeton University transportation economist’s report, who says approximately 31,500 commuters lost a total of $5 million in wages, $331,000 in misused toll funds and $30,500 in wasted fuel that day.
The lane closures that day were later criminally investigated, and the story is now widely known as “Bridgegate.”
In a federal criminal lawsuit, then-Port Authority executive director William E. Baroni Jr. and the then-deputy chief of staff of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Bridget Anne Kelly, were accused of conspiring with another Port Authority executive to close two out of the three access lanes to the bridge.
It was alleged they did this to punish the mayor overseeing the area by the bridge for not endorsing Chris Christie in his bid to be reelected as governor of New Jersey.
In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court tossed the criminal convictions of Baroni and Kelly, ruling that, while their alleged conduct may be an abuse of power, it was not a federal crime.
However, plaintiffs in the class action are still seeking damages from Baroni, Kelly, and the Port Authority.
The Port Authority filed an opposition brief later Tuesday, saying each commuter’s experience that day was so different they could not constitute a Class, Law360 reported.
“All of these issues — who crossed the bridge, whether they were delayed, why they were delayed, whether any delay caused by the lane reassignments injured them — will require individualized proof for each class member,” the Port Authority reportedly wrote.
“None can be adjudicated on a class-wide basis using common proof.”
This is not the first lawsuit to be filed over transit delays. In 2017, two New York City commuters filed a class action lawsuit against Long Island Rail Road, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and New York City Transit over the chaos and delays caused by track work at Penn Station.
What do you think of this class action lawsuit over traffic delays? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiffs are represented by Michael J. Epstein and Barry D. Epstein of The Epstein Law Firm PA.
The Bridgegate Class Action Lawsuit is Galicki et al. v. State of New Jersey et al., Case No. 2:14-cv-00169, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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