Class-Action Suit Filed Against N.J. Gov. Chris Christie Over GWB Closure
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, along with key players in the George Washington Bridge scandal, now faces a class-action lawsuit, according to a report by the Associated Press.
A currently indefinite number of plaintiffs, which include six New Jersey residents, seek economic damages for the allegedly politically motivated bridge closures that caused four days of traffic gridlock. The suit was brought against the Republican governor, along with former aide Bridget Kelly, former Port Authority officials Bill Baroni and David Wildstein (both Christie appointees), the state of New Jersey, and the Port Authority.
Kelly was fired, as announced by Christie himself, while Baroni and Wildstein both resigned in December amid growing suspicions of a political vendetta against Fort Lee mayor Mark Sokolich, who refused to endorse Christie’s re-election bid for the gubernatorial seat.
Attorney Rosemarie Arnold, who filed the class action suit on Thursday, revealed to political news website Politico.com that the lawsuit was already in the works since September when the incident happened. At that point, suspicions of political motives were present, but without concrete evidence to prove it.