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FOREST HILLS, Queens (PIX11) – The City of New York will pay $150,000 to a Queens community membership organization to resolve a dispute stemming from concerts.
Court documents show that in March 2026, the city decided to close the chapter on the concert drama it had with the Forest Hills Garden Corporation, which sued New York City and the NYPD, claiming an unconstitutional taking of private property related to concerts at Forest Hills Stadium.
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“It is hereby stipulated and agreed, by and between the parties, that the above-captioned matter is settled as follows,” read the stipulation of settlement and discontinuance. “The City of New York shall make payment in the amount of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($150,000.00) in full settlement. The payment shall be made to the plaintiff by mailing a check payable to ‘Forest Hills Gardens Corporation’ to Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, within 90 days.”
In another win for the FHGC, the decision now also requires the local NYPD precinct, the 112th, to coordinate with the FHGC board president on planned security arrangements, including street closures, resident access, rideshare pickup and drop-off sites, and reasonable efforts to clear Plaintiff-owned streets promptly after concerts end.
However, according to court documents, the payout does not mean the City or any of its employees acted unlawfully or violated rights.
Concert Madness
In 2025, according to court documents, FHGC alleged the city, through the NYPD, closed private streets, erected barricades on the plaintiff’s property, and directed concertgoers to walk on the plaintiff’s private streets and property for nearby concerts at Forest Hills Stadium.
“For several years, the City has illegally seized FHGC’s private streets, even after acknowledging that they are privately owned and off-limits,” said Katherine Rosenfeld, Partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, the firm representing FHGC. “The Constitution guarantees every property owner the right to decide who enters their property and to access their own property. By shutting down FHGC’s streets and funneling thousands of concertgoers through the community without its consent, the City has carried out a long-running unlawful taking — siding with a billion-dollar concert enterprise over the rights of residents. This lawsuit is about finally holding the City to account.”
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The Forest Hills Garden Corporation sought compensation, which they received, closing a chapter on at least one part of the ongoing drama over concerts at Forest Hills Stadium. In the past, PIX11 News has reported on noise complaints and other lawsuits.
PIX11 News reached out to the city for comment regarding the settlement. They directed us to a story in the Queens Daily Eagle, which was the first to report on the settlement.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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