Former Suffolk County Legislator Paul Tonna has been awarded a default judgment against a Nassau publication he sued, ruling that it had not responded to the lawsuit on time, Newsday reported Tuesday.
The publication, the North Shore Leader, had published a story headlined “Town Huntington Pols Enmeshed with $50M Melville Land Fraudster,” in September, linking Tonna, his public relations firm Praxis and his organization, Energeia Partnership, to developer Greg DeRosa, who has been enmeshed in several lawsuits about his work around Long Island and another in Florida.
Tonna’s lawsuit, which seeks $50 million for damages, libel and harassment, said the publication harmed his business and reputation.