CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

This is an action pursuant to the New York State Constitution, the common law, CPLR 3001 and State Finance Law § 123-b for an injunction against the defendants to bar them from distributing or receiving state funds in violation of the New York State Constitution, and for declaratory and other relief.

Buffalo, New York, August 2, 2008, 2008. 46 New York taxpayers are filing suit on Monday to stop the State of New York from handing out cash grants to wealthy corporations for "economic development."

Their attorney James Ostrowski said the practice violates the state constitution's ban on gifts to private firms. The Defendants include the "three men in a room"-Governor Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Majority Leader Dean Skelos.

The group will ask a state judge in Albany to order more than one billion in state subsidies to end immediately. The corporate defendants include IMB, Bass Pro, the Hyatt Hotel in Buffalo, Delphi Harrison and American Axle.

Ostrowski, a Buffalo trial lawyer and founder of the taxpayer group Free New York (not involved in the suit), will hand out copies of the suit on the steps of the State Capitol at noon on Monday and will do the same in Buffalo on Tuesday at noon in Niagara Square.