Community Corner

Corner Restaurant Owner Demands Public Apology from Village Attorney

Micky Biss is also asking that the village attorney provide legal proof that he is required to abide by a site plan that is on the books.

Micky Biss, the owner of the vacant Corner Restaurant in Westhampton Beach is demanding that Richard T. Haefeli, the village attorney, publicly apologize to him. 

In a letter overnighted to the village on Thursday, Biss alleges that statements made by Haefeli at a recent village board work session "constitute defamation" and are "actionable."

Quoting Haefeli as saying, "Mr. Biss does not know what he is talking about," Biss said that that type of statement is "totally inappropriate for a Village Attorney to make about someone who owns a substantial amount of property in Westhampton Beach."

Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Bayswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"In response to your defamatory statements made at both a public meeting and to the media, I demand that you publicly state and publish a full and complete retraction of your statements and an apology for the same," Biss wrote to Haefeli.

Biss further demanded that Haefeli produce legal proof that he is legally bound to a site plan that was approved prior to the purchase of the Corner Restaurant property. 

Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Bayswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At a July 17 village board meeting, Biss argued that costs associated with completing the site plan is preventing him from developing it. He further stated that there is no legal basis to tie the site plan to him as the new owner.

The village, however, has maintained the opposite, stating that the site plan is tied to the property and that in order to turn the lights back on at the location, the site plan must be completed. 

, including submitting a new site plan or appealing to the village's planning board for a waiver. 

Haefeli did not immediately respond to calls for a comment.

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here