Alesi drops lawsuit
By: Mark Gruba
Updated: January 25, 2011
Late Monday night Senator Jim Alesi announced he has withdrawn a civil lawsuit filed last Friday against John and Janet Hecker of Perinton and home builder Lou Dirisio. In doing so, Alesi also offered an apology.
"I filed the suit without regard to the anxiety that it would cause the homeowners, the builders or the community where we live, and I'm sorry for that," said Alesi in a prepared statement. "With that in mind, I've decided to withdraw the lawsuit and hopefully move on and do the job I was elected to do as your State Senator."
Alesi broke his leg in 2008 when he fell off a ladder inside a home under construction on Conover Crossing. The property was owned by the Heckers. Monday night, Janet Hecker said the couple would be very happy if the lawsuit is dropped, but they are awaiting official word from their lawyer.
County GOP Chair Bill Reilich, in Albany Monday, said Alesi did the right thing, after doing the wrong thing. "I'm just happy that the Senator reached this decision," said Reilich. "I'm happy for the family that was involved. I know this will take a lot of relief off of them and allow them to sleep better tonight and I think the community appreciates the decision the Senator has made this evening."
Reilich said he he felt a statement he released earlier in the day calling for Alesi to reconsider, along with a general negative reaction from Alesi's constituents, helped influence the Senator to withdraw the lawsuit. "I think it was significant the damage over the last few days and I am hoping over the next several months that he'll be able to regain the confidence of his constituents through further actions, but we'll have to wait and see how damaging this is in the long term."
Alesi has represented the 55th District as its Senator since 1996, serving parts of Rochester, Fairport, Perinton, Penfield, Henrietta and Wheatland.
"I filed the suit without regard to the anxiety that it would cause the homeowners, the builders or the community where we live, and I'm sorry for that," said Alesi in a prepared statement. "With that in mind, I've decided to withdraw the lawsuit and hopefully move on and do the job I was elected to do as your State Senator."
Alesi broke his leg in 2008 when he fell off a ladder inside a home under construction on Conover Crossing. The property was owned by the Heckers. Monday night, Janet Hecker said the couple would be very happy if the lawsuit is dropped, but they are awaiting official word from their lawyer.
County GOP Chair Bill Reilich, in Albany Monday, said Alesi did the right thing, after doing the wrong thing. "I'm just happy that the Senator reached this decision," said Reilich. "I'm happy for the family that was involved. I know this will take a lot of relief off of them and allow them to sleep better tonight and I think the community appreciates the decision the Senator has made this evening."
Reilich said he he felt a statement he released earlier in the day calling for Alesi to reconsider, along with a general negative reaction from Alesi's constituents, helped influence the Senator to withdraw the lawsuit. "I think it was significant the damage over the last few days and I am hoping over the next several months that he'll be able to regain the confidence of his constituents through further actions, but we'll have to wait and see how damaging this is in the long term."
Alesi has represented the 55th District as its Senator since 1996, serving parts of Rochester, Fairport, Perinton, Penfield, Henrietta and Wheatland.
Comments
From personal experience, his lawyer is as self-serving and reprehensible as he is. Every other lawsuit reported on names the party's attorney in the paper, why wasn't this one named in the paper?
Anonymous A.
January 25, 2011 at 8:39 pm
This not a simple mistake or a single case of bad judgement. There are several mistakes that the aloof Senator does not want to take responsibility for: Entering a house that did not belong to him, getting charged with chriminal trespass,not apologizing to the builder/owner for doing it in the first place and then waiting to the last minute to file a ridiculous lawsuit. The "good" Senator has yet to apologize to the public, the builder and the owner for his asinine behavior. I hope you ALL have long memories and do not re-elect this "upstanding politician" again. I KNOW I WILL NOT!! He exibits all that is wrong with our political leaders.
Anonymous A.
January 25, 2011 at 2:44 pm
