A series of disagreements with Eric Adams’ office led to the ouster of the corporation counsel, whose permanent replacement has not been named.
When city officials are sued in civil cases and the allegations relate to their job, state laws entitle them to representation from the Law Department. There is, however, room for interpretation within that framework, which is why the city typically conducts an internal probe before deciding whether to take a case, according to a former government official versed in the city’s legal practices.
Hinds-Radix did not return requests for comment, but she addressed the lawsuit at a March press briefing. In the spring of 2022, just months after Adams took office, an influx of migrants from the southern border began to stream into New York City by bus, swelling the municipal shelter system and creating novel legal questions around the city’s response.
“Over a few weeks is nothing. But over months, the agency loses effectiveness because the boss is not empowered to make really important decisions,” John Kaehny of government reform group Reinvent Albany said in an interview. “We’re working in partnership with the Council to see how things can manifest,” Chief Adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin said at a Tuesday press briefing. “It hasn’t changed. We’ve been in a good place with them, contrary to what the news has been reporting. We needed to get past the budget cycle.”
In the wake of the allegations, Adams, via the Law Department, retained the services of Alex Spiro, a private attorney known for his celebrity client roster — a decision that sparked consternation at the agency, according to a report in. Spiro is now serving as co-counsel on the case with municipal attorneys — an unusual arrangement for an agency whose expertise is defending city employees.
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