Former Yonkers City Council President Mike Khader goes to court on June 12th to argue why he believes Mayor Mike Spano and his allies defamed him. He seeks millions of dollars in damages over claims of reputational harm resulting in the loss of his re-election and contracts for his private law business.
Was a defamation campaign launched at Khader?
Heading into the 2021 primary election for Yonkers City Council President, a slew of bad news engulfed the incumbent, Mike Khader. Khader alleges that Mayor Spano and his allies engaged in a coordinated efforts for his ouster from office.
At the center of the campaign was an allegation that Khader had improperly awarded a public contract to a law firm with which he may have shared office space. While both Khader and this law firm undeniably reside within the same building, conflicting evidence exists as to whether or not Khader operated from a different suite on a different floor. Regardless of the merits of the allegation, news articles, campaign mailers, robocalls, and an entirely new website were commissioned to amplify this story. The city council voted to send this matter to the Inspector General, Liam McLaughlin, for an answer. To date, McLaughlin has presented no report or any findings either way.
Around the same time, a female staffer in Khader’s office sent a letter of resignation alleging gender disparities in workplace treatment by the Council President. The letter was leaked and then published by Hezi Aris at Yonkers Tribune. This led to Yonkers Democratic Party (YDC) Chair and Spano-appointed DPW Commissioner, Tom Meier, to rescind the party’s endorsement of Khader.
Was Khader harmed?
For a defamation lawsuit to be successful, one must typically show harm resulting from the false claims. There are two examples of harm which Khader asserts.
Firstly, Khader lost his re-election bid and accompanying salary and benefits from that service. While elections are won and lost for a myriad of reasons, Khader squarely cites the revocation of the YDC’s endorsement and related bad press as mitigating factors.
Secondly, Khader claims he has lost clients to his legal firm due to these accusations. And that his security clearance–from his background with the Central Intelligence Agency–lost him related work with U.S. defense contractors.
What does Khader seek?
Khader’s “prayer for relief” consists of a substantial monetary reimbursement and the removal of the defamatory materials online. There are numerous defendants listed, both public officials and private citizens. They include:
- Mike Spano
- Rosanne Gallego (Committee for a Better Yonkers)
- Hezi Aris (Yonkers Tribune)
- Ron Matten
- Pasquale Mondesando (Rose Press printers)
- Numerous John/Jane Doe’s
Khader asks for a total of six million dollars in damages. This is the sum of each count of defamation at $1 million each. He furthermore requests reimbursement for all legal fees related to this matter as well as an estimated $500,000 in lost revenue to his business.
Additionally, Khader asks that defendant, Hezi Media Inc., remove all articles and comments from the Yonkers Tribune website that contain alleged defamatory statements. He also seeks similar relief from the “Committee for a Better Yonkers” website.
Why Khader thinks this happened
In his 49-page complaint, Khader describes very plainly the reason he believes triggered this defamation campaign against him.
The Ludlow Transit Oriented Development Plan is a revitalization of an industrial area in southwest Yonkers that the mayor’s administration wishes to transform into a luxury residential space near the Ludlow Metro North train station. A major partner in this endeavor is the Ginsburg Development Company.
The necessary rezoning of this area required a roughly $500,000 General Environment Impact Statement (GEIS) of the area. Khader voted against approving tax-payer funding for this GEIS in lieu of Ginsburg footing the bill. His primary complaint was that the study area included property outside of Ginsburg’s projects–specifically 132 Fernbrook Street. The issue with Fernbrook is that “said property is owned by a corporation controlled by an immediate family member of Mayor Spano,” said Khader. Moreover, that Mayor Spano never disclosed that his family’s property would benefit from this study and subsequent development. Development like the taxpayer-purchased lot adjacent to Fernbrook which will be the area’s first waterfront park.
Khader goes to court
Khader will get his day in court on June 12th, 2023 before Judge David Everett. Esteemed law firms like Harris Beach represent Spano, while other defendants like Hezi Aris and Ron Matten are representing themselves. Regardless, all parties or their representatives will be in-person for oral arguments at 3pm in the Supreme & County Court of Westchester County in White Plains.
