A New York State Supreme Court justice has ended the debate over how and when Niagara Falls will pay a $4.029 million settlement sum to South End landowner Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR).
Justice Deborah Chimes has issued an order directing “that the city controller shall pay the settlement sum to (NFR’s attorneys) out of the city’s unassigned fund balance by no later than 5 p.m. on August 19, 2026.”
The order had been requested by NFR’s attorneys after a July 31 deadline to make the payment passed without the city taking any action.
Chimes conducted a conference with attorneys for NFR and the city’s special counsel for the Centennial Park project on Monday. During that conference, NFR attorney John Horn submitted a draft of the order to Chimes, who signed it on Tuesday.