The New York comptroller's office has called on the Police Department to monitor lawsuit claims for almost a decade, but the department has refused to act.
Despite some such conflicts, large, well-resourced national groups such the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council seek out these groups as partners in everything from environmental monitoring to lawsuits.
The Bush administration is closely monitoring a private lawsuit accusing members of the Saudi royal family of ties to Al Qaeda, and may move in a federal court here to dismiss or delay the suit, which was brought by relatives of Sept. 11 victims, according to administration officials.
Kim Kirkbride, a local farmer and organizer, told me that the tree-sits were just one tactic among many, including submitting letters and public comments, calling the governor, filing lawsuits, and monitoring MVP activities.
The agency agreed to the stepped-up monitoring to after a lawsuit was filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union and others.
The increase in the number of officers who have been punished comes as the department is facing the prospect of a federal monitor or a lawsuit to install one by federal prosecutors.
In New Jersey, damage amounts are not named in lawsuits, but medical monitoring alone could run into millions of dollars, Mr. Gordon said.
As Republican lawmakers monitor the path of the lawsuits challenging Mr. Clinton's authority on several fronts, some members of Congress and industry officials expect the Bush administration to appoint officials at the Justice Department and other agencies who would coordinate a full-throttled attack against the last-minute Clinton environmental measures.
An Ottawa-based vibrator company is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly monitoring and recording how its customers masturbate.
And now the City of New York has settled two federal lawsuits stemming from the monitoring, and agreed to reforms.
