Woodbury Heights Estates Water Co. v. Village of Woodbury

37 Misc. 3d 180
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 19, 2012
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 37 Misc. 3d 180 (Woodbury Heights Estates Water Co. v. Village of Woodbury) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woodbury Heights Estates Water Co. v. Village of Woodbury, 37 Misc. 3d 180 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2012).

Opinion

[181]*181OPINION OF THE COURT

Lawrence H. Ecker, J.

It is hereby, ordered that the motion is granted, and it is further, ordered, adjudged and decreed that plaintiff is granted judgment declaring Local Law No. 6 (2008) of the Village of Woodbury invalid on the ground of state preemption, and that the law is null and void.

Introduction

Plaintiff alleges it is a private water works company located in defendant Village of Woodbury which seeks to sell water to a development in an adjacent town. Defendant passed a local law which prohibits the removal of groundwater, either directly or after storage, for use outside of the village. Penalties include fines and imprisonment. Plaintiff commenced this action to have the law declared invalid as preempted by the state law. Plaintiff moves for summary judgment. The motion is granted.

Factual and Procedural Background

In April 1999, plaintiff Woodbury Heights Estates Water Co., Inc. was incorporated under section 3 of the Transportation Corporations Law for the stated purpose of supplying water to a subdivision known as Woodbury Heights Estates (plaintiffs appendix at 22).

In August 2008, the Village of Woodbury enacted Local Law No. 6 (plaintiffs appendix at 29-32). Pursuant to section 246-1 of the Code of the Village of Woodbury, the Village Board found that “the unregulated and uncontrolled relocation, removal, and exportation of certain natural materials may degrade the environment of the Village to a point that is detrimental to the public safety, health and general welfare” and that regulation of the same was necessary to protect against soil erosion and instability, and to preserve natural resources belonging to the village and its residents (opposition papers, exhibit A). Pursuant to section 246-11: “The removal of groundwater, either directly or after storage, for use outside of the incorporated Village of Woodbury is expressly prohibited, except by intermunicipal agreement with the Village Board of Trustees.” Pursuant to section 246-12, a violation of the section was punishable as a misdemeanor offense and/or by fines.

In October 2008, the Village of Woodbury commenced an unrelated action to set aside a sale of property by Zigmond Brach [182]*182(president, owner, and sole stockholder of plaintiff) to the Village of Kiryas Joel (plaintiffs appendix at 18-20). The Village of Woodbury alleged that Brach, without obtaining subdivision approval, had sold property within its borders to the Village of Kiryas Joel for the purpose of building a water tower thereon to provide its citizens with potable water. In dismissing the action, the Supreme Court, Orange County (Slobod, J.), noted that the Village of Woodbury had entered into a stipulation in which it had, in effect, waived the lack of subdivision approval. The court held that the Village of Woodbury could not indirectly affect Kiryas Joel’s property rights by seeking an order compelling Brach to rescind the deed.

In July 2010, the Town of Monroe entered into an agreement with plaintiff to purchase water, on terms to be negotiated, to supply a property known as the Forest Edge subdivision in the Town of Monroe. It was agreed that the water was to be used solely for residential and not commercial purposes (plaintiffs appendix at 27).

By certificate of extension dated January 4, 2011, filed pursuant to section 46 of the Transportation Corporations Law, plaintiff noted that it had entered into a contract to supply water to the Town of Monroe (plaintiffs appendix at 24-25).

In February 2011, plaintiff commenced the action at bar. Plaintiff seeks (1) a declaration that Local Law No. 6 is illegal and void, and (2) an award of damages pursuant to 42 USC § 1983 for a taking without just compensation.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Prasarn
2019 NY Slip Op 52208(U) (Ithaca City Court, 2019)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
37 Misc. 3d 180, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woodbury-heights-estates-water-co-v-village-of-woodbury-nysupct-2012.