Rochester dentist accused of hosting racist Juneteenth party sues local pol and lawyer for defamationBy David Propper
August 10, 2023
A Rochester dentist has filed a defamation lawsuit against a local legislator and an attorney who accused him and his wife of hosting a racist Juneteenth party — which was attended by a black firefighter allegedly at the behest of his superior.
Nicholas Nicosia claims in the suit filed Tuesday that Nathan McMurray, an attorney who represents firefighter Jerrod Jones, and Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart destroyed his dentistry practice and ruined his family’s life over what his legal team called a “hate crime hoax.”
Nicosia said the allegations even led to someone suggesting he should kill himself in an anonymous letter to his office, the lawsuit states.
The small party thrown last July by Nicosia and his wife was thrust into the limelight when Jones accused his captain of taking him and a few other on-duty firefighters to the gathering that featured racist elements, according to a lawsuit brought by the 14-year department vet against the fire department.
Jones said he saw a display of Juneteenth flags that were over buckets of fried chicken in a bid to mock the holiday.
A woman also allegedly pretended to be Barnhart and performed a sexually suggestive dance while photos of Democratic politicians were attached to stakes in the yard.
But Nicosia, in legal papers, denied the accusations, saying two buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken were served along with other food and were never under Juneteenth flags.
There was no attempt to ridicule black Americans, make fun of the holiday or sexualize Barnhart, and the signs with the pols’ photos could also not be mistaken for stakes, Nicosia’s lawsuit states.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/08/10/nicholas-nicosia-sues-rachel-barnhart-ny-lawyer-over-racist-party-claim/