Randy Mastro, Mayor Adams’ newly-minted prime deputy, satisfied a Manhattan decide final month to increase the timeline for a court docket case that’s sparked conflict-of-interest issues over Mastro’s choice to stay a protection lawyer within the case, data reveal.
The Manhattan Federal Court docket case was introduced by NBA legend Charles Oakley towards the Madison Sq. Backyard enterprise empire over a dispute that ended with Oakley’s ejection from the Manhattan area throughout a 2017 Knicks recreation.
However the association has raised ethics questions; MSG and Dolan have intensive enterprise pursuits earlier than the Adams administration, together with issues that contain tax breaks.
Final week, Adams spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak defended Mastro’s choice to maintain repping MSG, saying the Conflicts of Curiosity Board gave him permission — and contending the case work shall be restricted because it’s anticipated to quickly conclude.
However a transcript of a March 21 court docket listening to at which Mastro appeared on behalf of MSG signifies the case might have been on a tighter schedule if Mastro hadn’t requested to increase a timeline for him and Oakley’s lawyer to file sure papers — a question that raised an eyebrow from the presiding decide, Richard Sullivan.
Charles Oakley in 2024. (Photograph by Ethan Miller/Getty Photographs)
However Mastro interjected and urged the decide to provide Oakley 4 weeks as a substitute — and requested for an additional 4 weeks for his personal submitting. He stated he wished Oakley’s crew to have an extended timeline so he might “get them under safe harbor,” a reference to a interval throughout which a movement could be withdrawn. Nonetheless, he additionally stated he he wished extra time afterward to probably deliver his personal sanctions towards Oakley.
“I just don’t want to put this off forever, I thought people wanted to resolve this,” Sullivan replied, to which Mastro stated he was okay with getting three weeks to file his papers.
With that timeline, Sullivan stated the case will drag on a minimum of till Could 16, and “then we’ll see where we are.”
Requested Tuesday in regards to the longer timeline, Mamelak stated Mastro has the required approvals to signify MSG and that he’s recused from engaged on different issues associated to MSG as first deputy.
Mayor Adams on April 1, 2025. Mastro at far left. (Michael Appleton / Mayoral Images Workplace)
Earlier Tuesday, Mastro, whose report of championing conservative causes in court docket resulted within the Metropolis Council blocking him from changing into Adams’ company counsel final 12 months, made his first official look as first deputy at a Metropolis Corridor press convention with the mayor.
On the occasion, Mastro stated he had really been working “for free” for the mayor since his March 20 appointment. That would compound ethics issues, given Mastro nonetheless represented varied purchasers within the stretch between March 20 and this week, together with New Jersey in its bid to kill New York’s congestion pricing program.
