Oyster Bay Cove homeowner sues village, alleges campaign of harassment

An Oyster Bay Cove resident has sued the village for allegedly blocking work on his home because of his Chinese heritage.

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 19 in U.S. Eastern District Court in Central Islip, alleges that village zoning board, planning board, village court, buildings and police department officials began a "campaign of racial national origin harassment" in conspiracy with "several Caucasian residents" who were upset that the plaintiff, Allen Yu, of Chinese national origin, purchased a home in the village in 2014.

Yu alleges in his lawsuit that village officials frustrated his plans to make alterations to his home by making him jump through a series of bureaucratic hoops that included issuing stop work orders even after permits had been issued and denying permits after he attempted to satisfy the requirements of officials.

He alleges the village has tried to take away his Doberman pinscher based on complaints from neighbors that the dog barks and is dangerous. According to the suit, a neighbor testified against him in a village hearing about the dog and the property, saying that, "These people come in. The place looks like Alcatraz."

Yu said in his complaint that he tried to build a chain-link fence to contain the dog but the village stopped him. In 2018, the village court found him guilty of a series of code violations and fined him $242,750.

Eric Sanders, Yu’s Manhattan attorney, said the claim of discrimination is based on inference from statements of neighbors and the actions of the village.

"They’ve done everything to stop him from enjoying the full benefits of his property," Sanders said.

Yu is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Oyster Bay Cove Mayor Charles Goulding did not respond to a request for comment.