Local Municipalities Settle Lawsuit Filed by Legal Aid Society

A lawsuit filed earlier last month against the towns of Southold, Southampton and Riverhead and the villages of Southampton and Sag Harbor by the Suffolk County Legal Aid Society has been settled recently in state court.

The Legal Aid Society filed the lawsuit over the justice court facilities in the towns, stating that they don’t have a proper, private meeting space for lawyers and defendants in custody to meet which forces them to meet in front of a law enforcement personnel, violating the defendant’s constitutional rights, according to The Suffolk Times.

“The right of an accused in a criminal case to have the assistance of counsel is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the lawsuit states according to The Suffolk Times.

The society asked that criminal arraignments be held in Suffolk County First District Court in Central Islip, according to the Suffolk Times.

Earlier this week, the towns of Southold and Riverhead agreed under the settlement to construct the proper space on the existing facilities, according to a report in SoutholdLocal.

Under the settlement, Riverhead will be construction a partition in the conference room next to the courtroom creating a secured, separate area, and Southold will also be building a partition in an existing room and will even build a door that’s accessible from the outside by knocking through a wall, according to the report.

The other municipalities will not be undergoing construction, which will have to be completed by April 30.

Sign up for your local daily Patch newsletter and breaking news alerts here

More on Patch:

• Police: Drunk Woman Struck Officer on LIE
• Armed Man Demands Cash, Pizza During Domino’s Robbery
• Peter King Blasts Ted Cruz Over Presidential Bid
• RVC Principal to Lawmakers: ‘Slow Down’ On Testing, Evals
• DA: Ex-Employee, Husband Stole $200G from Syosset Retailer
• Orient Point Resident Receives Home From Habitat For Humanity