Soloway Comments on NY Hotel Claims Involving Asylum Seekers in 2024
Pryor Cashman Partner Todd E. Soloway, co-chair of the Litigation Group and chair of the Hotel + Hospitality Group and Real Estate Litigation Practice, spoke with Law360 about the pressing issue of migrants in New York City being relocated to hotels further upstate, and the importance of the related claims going into the new year.
In “Hospitality Cases And Trends To Watch In 2024,” Todd provides an overview of the situation in NY and the complexity of the pending cases:
As room supply dries up, city officials and several hospitality companies in upstate New York have cut deals to house migrants at hotels including Armoni Inn & Suites in Orangeburg and The Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh, according to Todd E. Soloway, chair of Pryor Cashman LLP’s hotel and hospitality group and real estate litigation practice.
“The migrant population has exploded, and the city is literally running out of room. As a result, the city started looking to house migrants in hotels in upstate New York,” Soloway said. “These upstate hotels normally operate at 40% to 50% occupancy and at low rates. Now, they have entered into commercial agreements to house migrants.”
But certain counties in upstate New York have sued the city and companies in state court, seeking injunctive relief to prevent it from bringing the migrants upstate, according to Soloway, whose legal team represents the hotel owners.
Meanwhile, the Pryor Cashman team commenced a federal court case on behalf of the hotel owners, accusing the counties as well as their top executives of violating the U.S. Constitution and threatening to ruin the plaintiffs’ hospitality operations because they agreed to help the city transport asylum-seeking refugees and provide them with guest rooms during their entry into the United States, Soloway said.
“There’s a lot going on here,” Soloway said. “We have serious claims of discrimination against the various municipalities, including Orange and Rockland Counties. There are serious constitutional issues at stake.”
Read the full article using the link below (subscription may be required).
