5.6 C
Niagara Falls
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Letter: Marotta has made repeated offers to settle dispute

Dear editor:

As one of the lawyers for Two Sisters, Solmar and Benny Marotta, I would like to respond to the claim in Mr. Derek Collins’ opinion letter that my clients have “shown no inclination to negotiate an acceptable resolution” (The Lake Report, Jan. 30).

First, Mr. Marotta participated in a long, videotaped meeting with SORE in March of 2018. You can watch it on their website.

Second, I publicly stated at the last Local Planning Appeal Tribunal pre-hearing in NOTL that my clients want to settle this case, and I called upon the town and SORE to come to the table. That has not happened. My clients remain willing and await the same from the town and SORE.

Third, my clients have recently unveiled a revised proposal for the hotel, which has met with overwhelmingly favourable response on social media, but was immediately derided and dismissed by SORE supporters without so much as a chance for dialogue.

And, finally, as will shortly become public knowledge in court filings, my clients have made not one, not two, but three formal written offers to settle.

If any of them had been accepted, the number and cost of legal proceedings would have been dramatically reduced.

Not only were none of them accepted, but none of them was even responded to.

Michael Melling,

Partner, Davies Howe LLP

Toronto

Subscribe to our mailing list