Exclusive | MTA spent 8 years and over $3M fighting broken-elevator case rather than fix them: Disgrace
The New York subway system is saddled with more than three dozen chronically broken elevators, but the MTA would rather fight activists suing to get them fixed than use the money to repair them, critics raged this week.In the past week, 35 to 43 elevators were out of service on any given day, up to 13% of all elevators, including many at busy stations like Times Square and Union Square, according to the MTA’s elevator status page.Yet the Metropolitan Transit Authority has spent millions of dollars and eight years fighting a federal class-action lawsuit brought by disabled New Yorkers over the broken lifts.The suit, filed in April 2017 on behalf of three disabled New Yorkers, has seen more than 20 delays, six different judges, 11 lawyers hired by the MTA from four different private firms, 20 depositions, and more than 10,000 pages of motions.The transit agency tried to have the case dismissed at least twice – once in 2021 when a federal appeals court ruled against them, and again in August when a Manhattan federal court judge disagreed.“Your case is indefensible and a disgrace,” vented Jennifer Van Dyck of the Elevator Action Network at Wednesday’s MTA board meeting.“Eight years of legal fees is a waste of money, use these millions of dollars to fix the elevators – get it together, MTA.”“All we want is an elevator that doesn’t break down.
What do we have instead? Eight years of the MTA’s private lawyers earning seven figures,” chimed in Elevator Action Group organizer Jessica Murray.The state has spent more than $3 million fighting the civil rights case, MTA records show.It has hired boutique law firm Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney to represent it.The court has ordered a settlement conference for May 28, but if an agreement can’t be reached, the case will likely head to trial.
The plaintiffs are not seeking money — they’re asking for a commitment from the MTA to have elevators that work, or at a bare minimum, a plan for when they do...