Politics & Government

Judge Throws Out Bloomberg Lawsuit Against Living Wage Bill

A Manhattan federal judge dismisses lawsuit, saying city could not prove it suffered injury as a result of the bill

A Manhattan federal judge dismissed a lawsuit on Tuesday brought by New York City challenging the living wage bill, on the grounds that the city could not prove that it suffered “concrete” injury, writes The Daily News.

The bill, passed by the City Council in 2012, requires any company that has received over $1 million in tax breaks or financing to pay workers $10 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 without benefits.

Bloomberg vetoed the bill, claiming it would hurt too many small business and slow job growth. But the City Council overrode the mayor’s veto, which lead to the city’s lawsuit.

The judge found the city had no legal right to stop the measure, because it couldn’t prove it “suffered a concrete and particularized injury” by enforcing the law.

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However, city officials now vow to take the case to state court:

“We look forward to having this case heard on the merits,” a spokesman for the city law department said.

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