Cablevision Systems Corp. launched a law suit Tuesday to block the sale to the New York Jets of development rights for a Manhattan site where the team plans to build a 1.9 billion football stadium, which is also the centrepiece of New York’s bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration wants the deal completed before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) selects the host city for the 2012 Games, reports Bloomberg News.
The suit, which names the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the city and Jets Development LLC as defendants, says the MTA conducted “a sham bidding process” to favour the Jets then accepted their bid although it was inferior to bid terms offered by Cablevision’s Madison Square Garden.
Bloomberg told reporters, “if you can’t beat them, sue them, I guess, unfortunately, is the way some people go about it”.
He added, “if you stop this, you’re going to stop the ability for literally tens of thousands of people short term, and hundreds of thousands of people long term, to be able to feed their families and send their kids to school and to share in the great American dream”.
If the lawsuit fails, the Empire State Development Corp must still approve the Jets’ plan. It then goes to New York’s Governor, the Assembly Speaker, and the state Senate Majority Leader for approval.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is selecting the 2012 host city July 6 in Singapore.
