A new residential complex in the shadow of Garden State Plaza is the subject of a new lawsuit, as the developer behind the project is claiming there was a “politically motivated campaign of governmental abuse” designed to delay the opening.
Tulfra Real Estate, through its affiliated development entities, has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Rochelle Park and various elected officials seeking more than $45 million in damages. Named individually in the case are Mayor Thomas Miller, Deputy Mayor Matthew Trawinski, multiple current and former council members, and several township officials.
The suit, filed in Bergen County Superior Court, centers around the company’s The Delford at Village Center, a completed 160-unit mixed-use apartment project at 120 West Passaic Street. Tulfra claims that the township weaponized building inspections, code enforcement, land-use approvals, and eminent-domain proceedings to create significant delays at the property.
“Rochelle Park officials promised cooperation, then spent two years waging a vindictive war against us using every tool of government at their disposal,” said Sonny Jumani, President/CEO of Tulfra Real Estate, in a statement. “This wasn’t legitimate regulation – it was malice, intimidation, and outright lawfare.”
“All of this occurred after the Township Administrator, various attorneys representing the township, and council members negotiated seven separate settlement agreements in good faith – agreements the Town Council repeatedly refused to honor,” Jumani added.
Specifically, the lawsuit claims that township officials “arbitrarily withheld Certificates of Occupancies” for the complex after it was completed and issued them “hundreds of duplicative criminal summonses for a single, static zoning dispute” that generated “excessive fines for the sole purpose of harassment.”
The case further alleged that the township “obstructed an approved daycare tenant” at the complex and manipulated eminent domain and affordable housing compliance obligations.
The lawsuit points to posts on social media from Mayor Miller as evidence of a “vendetta” against the project. The case cites sponsored advertisements from Miller that “characterized the developers as ‘greedy’ figures ‘robbing’ taxpayers,” while Deputy Mayor Trawinski allegedly made specific threats to “cancel the PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes]” related to the project and “renegotiate a new deal” to “destroy” the “vulture capitalist.”
The lawsuit asserts violations of federal due process and equal protection rights, unconstitutional excessive fines, and illegal regulatory taking of private property without compensation. It seeks compensatory damages exceeding $45 million, plus punitive damages against individual officials, attorneys’ fees and other relief. The developers are requesting a jury trial.
“This case exposes a dangerous abuse of local government power that threatens every real estate investor and business considering projects in New Jersey,” Jumani noted. “When elected officials can sabotage a fully entitled, code-compliant development for purely political reasons – even after their own administrator negotiates settlements in good faith – it undermines confidence in the state’s business climate and deters the very investment communities need to grow.”
