ALBANY, NY — A state Supreme Court judge has ruled the city of Ogdensburg can acquire cheese making equipment from the financially plagued St. Lawrence Food Corporation an associate of Ahava Food Corp. and Lewis County Dairy Corp.
Judge David Demarest made the ruling in a four page decision signed Monday.
Judge: City Can Seize Equipment from Ahava Cheese Plant
ALBANY, NY — A state Supreme Court judge has ruled the city of Ogdensburg can acquire cheese making equipment from the financially plagued St. Lawrence Food Corporation an associate of Ahava Food Corp. and Lewis County Dairy Corp.
Judge David Demarest made the ruling in a four page decision signed Monday.
City officials said they tried to workout the debt issues with St. Lawrence Food Corp. executives, including president and CEO Moise Banayan.
The cheese company used the equipment as collateral on roughly $500,000 in loans from the city that it defaulted on.
City offiicals have said the equipment includes processing tanks, boilers, holding silos, a cheese processor, and water cooling and treatment systems.
The court ruling says the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office is allowed to seize the equipment if the company refuses to comply.
The city took over ownership of the building and property housing the Kosher cheese operation last summer after the company failed to pay its property taxes.
The city had filed the civil suit in September after St. Lawrence Food defaulted on the half million dollar loan.
gm
This is a very clever move by Ahava that allowed the city to seize the property , the city allowed Ahava to continue distributing the kosher products, because the city doesn’t want to close the plant because it brings jobs to the area, and at the same time the banks that were owed so many millions by Ahava couldn’t get a penny. Before this move by AHAVA of owing money to the city and having by law the city to seize the property the banks wanted to seize the property and sell everything.
The city is working together with Ahava in this.
LOL
First problems with kosher meat products now problems with kosher milk products after the prolems with kosher fish we will be eating only eggs for protien LOL
TB
Thank you LOL. I think it is very clear that there is an
open war on kosher industries in USA. Is not it?
OhevAhava
Ahava is not a case of a war against the kosher industry; it is a sad case of a nice guy finishing last. The owner is a real mensch and an ehrlicher yid who found it hard to deal with the shtick that so called frum yidden (store owners, competitors, partners) pulled on him. He went out of his way to provide a good product at a low cost and people took advantage of him.