Second Federal Lawsuit In A Week Filed Against City of Key West
Complaint names city and Bubba Bozo trio as defendants
KEY WEST, Fla. — The City of Key West was served with its second federal lawsuit in less than a week during Thursday’s city commission meeting, according to federal court records obtained and reviewed by Above the Fold.
Named as defendants are the City of Key West, Raj Ramsingh, James Young, Ronald Ramsingh and Strykker-Avery Homes LLC.
The Ramsingh’s and Young have become known as the Bubba Bozo Trio in local circles. The civil action against the city is the first in what is anticipated to be just the beginning based on their alleged conduct and behavior.
Their felony indictments allege much of the same behavior as well as point to them in staging a coup against former City Manager Al Childress.
Court filings show the city was formally served via Mayor Danise Henriquez during Thursday’s regularly scheduled commission meeting at Old City Hall.
The new lawsuit comes just days after another federal complaint was filed against the city over the handling of rainbow fencing by the LGBTQ+ community.
According to the complaint, the dispute involves allegations tied to construction and business dealings involving city officials and private parties.
The suit alleges that the conduct attributed to Raj Ramsingh, Ronald Ramsingh and James Young extended beyond development and contracting disputes and ultimately contributed to law enforcement action against the plaintiff. According to the filing, the plaintiff contends his interactions with the defendants and related city processes escalated into what attorneys describe as a false arrest by the Key West Police Department, which they argue was the product of improper coordination or influence. Those claims have not been tested in court, and no judicial findings have been made regarding the arrest or the underlying allegations.
Raj Ramsingh served as Chief Building Official for the city, while his brother, Ron was city attorney. Jim Young served as the enforcer according to the filing in his roll as Code Compliance Director.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Bart Smith, W. Chase Carpenter and D. Susan Martin of Smith Hawks.
No responses had been filed Monday by the city or the other named defendants.
This is an evolving story. Watch this space.