The fight over the proposed day camp in North Sea just got a whole lot messier. In a move that would make the owners of Surf Lodge jealous, the man behind the camp, Jay Jacobs, is suing two of the plan's loudest critics for $65M in damages. He's claiming that John Barona and John Gorman, the president and vice president of the Little Fresh Pond Association, defamed him in a flyer circulated in the area. As additional recompense for this alleged defaming, Mr. Jacobs would like to see the duo apologize in a most public fashion:
"I believe they have to undo the damage they have done in that I'd like them to take an ad in the same newspaper that I've been taking out full page [ads] and at the first level state that they have no reason to believe, and no evidence of, any lying on my part, that they apologize for accusing me of it, and then that they admit that they have been exaggerating the facts."
Mr. Barona sees the lawsuit as, "Jay Jacobs feeling like he's on the losing end of the battle here and he’s a desperate man." He also noted that the Little Fresh Pond Association's lawyers are already looking into a countersuit. Via press release, Mr. Gorman expressed his disappointment in Mr. Jacobs' actions: "This is a sad day for Southampton...that a resident expressing their legitimate opposition to a developer's plans is sued for tens of millions of dollars for what's in a flier."
· Camp Developer Files $65 Million Lawsuit Against Project Critics [27 East]
· All Prior North Sea Day Camp Coverage [Curbed Hamptons]