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The Battle for Napeague's Beaches Rages On

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Not since Nazis swam ashore in 1942 have people been so mad about beach access in the Hamptons. The current lawsuit raging in Napeague is a great dinner party conversation topic, so here's a very brief primer for those that don't know about it:

At issue is a 4,000-foot-long stretch of waterfront where residents, who claim ownership of the sand all the way to the high-water line, are now entangled in a rather unfriendly legal battle (click here to download a PDF copy) with the Town of East Hampton and the East Hampton Trustees, who argue that the beach is public. There's been Orly Taitz-level scrutiny of an old deed from 1882 (click here to download a PDF copy), boycott threats against Napeague business owners, and lots of accusations that the town and trustees are not fighting this case aggressively enough.

The case is currently before Judge Tannenbaum of the New York State Supreme Court and there no estimate about when he might rule (but it'll certainly be well after Labor Day). Until then, the hostilities continue.

· Citizens for Access Rights [Official Site]
· Copy of the lawsuit [PDF Download]
· Deed from 1882 [PDF Download]
· All Previous Napeague Beach Access Lawsuit Coverage [Curbed Hamptons]