Lawsuit Update Regarding Popular New York Concert Venue

If you're an avid concert-goer in the Hudson Valley, chances are at one point or another you've traveled into Queens to catch a show at the former home of the U.S. Open turned historic NYC venue.

There's been some controversy surrounding the venue over the past year or so, and a recent update from the courtroom has indicated a judge has dismissed five of the seven current claims from the local community against the stadium.

Queens Neighborhood Attempts to Shut Down Forest Hills Concert Series

A legal battle surrounding open-air concerts held at the Queens-based Forest Hills Stadium seem to stem from the local community's homeowner's association.

According to several news outlets, as well as billboard, a 2023 lawsuit filed by the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation (FHGC) against the stadium's ownership, The West Side Tennis Club, sought to 'shut down the summer concert program at the former site of the U.S. Open.'

In their claim, the FHGC, which represents approximately 900 property owners, reports:

the concert series was a violation of the tennis club’s contract with the FHGC, which owns the streets, sidewalks and common areas of Forest Hills Gardens....that the stadium was a zoning violation and that the club had unjustly profited from the stadium’s growing success.

Reports indicate that Judge Joseph J. Esposito dismissed five of the seven causes that were alleged by FHGC in the late 2023 suit, saying that they 'failed to indicate that the harm is isolated to them and not the larger community.'

Within the claim there are three specific named plaintiffs that addressed the noise levels from the shows held at the Queens venue. The three cited:

...significant and “unbearably loud” noise that travels from the stadium on concert nights into their homes on behalf of hundreds of residents. They say that for the last decade, they have struggled to relax at home due to the noise that exceeds the city’s noise code and continues past the 10 p.m. curfew.

Forest Hills Stadium's attorney, Akiva Shapiro shared that the venue has 'poured tremendous resources' into being a good neighbor, and that Forest Hills remains hopeful that the remaining claims will also be dismissed. An attorney for the FHGC said that they will continue to 'press forward in trial court' and also consider appeal options.

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What currently remains are the public and private nuisance claims. At this time, no future court dates have been announced.

Over the past few years, acts like Arctic Monkeys, AJR, Neil Young, Pitbull, Kings of Leon, and even a four-night sold out run from Hozier this past summer all took the stage at the historic stadium.