Court Dismisses Legion Of Christ Suit Over Vacant Land
MOUNT PLEASANT, NY — The state Supreme Court recently dismissed a civil rights lawsuit by a religious group against the town for lack of evidence.
The Legion of Christ sued Mount Pleasant officials for religious discrimination after the town determined that the Legion's undeveloped, 161-acre property in Thornwood was taxable. The Roman Catholic order based in Cheshire, Conn. had sought a tax-exempt status as a religious group.
The July 6 civil-rights decision followed a 2020 court ruling that the property was fully taxable.
"I'm pleased that the Supreme Court continues to uphold the Town Assessor's determination of
the taxability of the Legion's 161-acre vacant property. This was never about religious discrimination," said Town Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi. "The two decisions are an enormous benefit to the taxpayers of the Town ensuring that our institutional properties are paying their fair share of property taxes so that the property tax burden of our residents is mitigated."
The Legion bought the former conference center in 1996. It consisted of two parcels, a 164-acre unimproved area and a contiguous 97-acre parcel that contained the conference center. In 1997, the Legion applied to the Town for a tax-exempt status for the unimproved parcel, which the Town denied, beginning years of litigation.
The Legionaries of Christ no longer owns the former conference center. In 2017, EF Academy opened a private boarding high school on the property. The Legion still owns the unimproved parcel and there have been stalled efforts to sell it to a developer.
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
Showing 1 comment