Immediate

Bridgeport Port Authority Expects a Quick & Favorable Ruling in Ferry Boat Suit

Joseph A. Riccio, Bridgeport Port Authority executive director, applauded a Sept. 8th ruling to hear the Port Jefferson/Bridgeport Steamboat Company suit against the BPA in Connecticut Federal Court.

Riccio thought the ruling to hear the case in state would accelerate the hearing of the ferry boat company’s suit challenging the BPA’s right to impose a surcharge of any kind on passenger tickets. The BPA imposes a surcharge to cover operational costs in maintaining the Maritime Complex where the ferry boat company docks, maintains an office and runs a concession stand.

“We’re happy with the ruling because this will expedite the settlement of the suit,” Riccio said. “We don’t want this suit dragging on another couple years. We’re confident that the evidence speaks for itself and we will get a favorable ruling on the suit and bring it to an end.”

The BPA is confident hearing the case in the federal court of Connecticut will accelerate the hearing in its favor since the judge ruling on the case is very familiar with it. He originally ruled against the ferryboat company’s seeking a temporary injunction blocking the BPA’s right to collect any surcharges in the spring of 2004. The BPA has collected a tariff ticket surcharge since its inception in 1993.

In the spring of 2004, BPA also enacted a temporary 50-cent surcharge to cover legal fees and administrative costs involved with the ferryboat suit. The BPA anticipates legal fees of about $600,000 this year because of the suit. The ferryboat company, which is supposed to collect all tariff surcharges, has not paid the BPA for the temporary legal fee tariff since it was imposed.

Riccio estimates that the hearing in state federal court should take place in the first couple months of 2005 and expects it to last no longer than a week. Riccio was also pleased that the preliminary ruling had no reprimanding words for the BPA. The executive director points out that if the suit were sent to the Federal Maritime Commission in Washington, D.C., it would have likely dragged on for another two years.

“We expect a quick and favorable decision,” Riccio said. “The evidence is clear. This entire suit is a rerun of ’93 when the ferry boat company challenged the BPA’s right to collect and surcharge and lost.”

The BPA is a quasi-public entity that has jurisdiction over the entire Bridgeport Harbor port. It also operates the ferry terminal facility, Water Street Dock and has jurisdiction over several marine cargo terminals.