New York Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar received a significant reprieve on April 30 after a Queens judge dismissed an alleged petition fraud case against her campaign.
Responding to the ruling, Rajkumar said in a statement, “Love will always win over hate,” adding that the case was an “ugly” attempt by the Democratic Socialists of America to “disenfranchise” Queens voters, particularly minority communities, and to intimidate a team of young South Asian and minority canvassers.
“They failed. I am so proud of my young team, who stood strong, upheld the truth, and refused to be intimidated,” she added. “We will not be stopped. Our resounding defeat of the DSA in the courtroom will be followed by an even bigger victory at the ballot box.”
According to Queens Daily Eagle, Democratic Socialist candidate David Orkin alleged in a lawsuit that Rajkumar’s campaign “forged petition signatures in an effort to get the incumbent on the ballot.” The judge dismissed the case, noting that Orkin’s attorney did not “properly subpoena” Rajkumar’s campaign workers, whom the lawsuit had accused of involvement in the alleged fraud.
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Orkin’s campaign filed the lawsuit in Queens Supreme Court on April 16, asserting that the “vast majority of Rajkumar’s petitions should be tossed due to the alleged fraud found on petitions signed by seven different witnesses,” the outlet reported.
Rajkumar’s campaign had previously characterized the lawsuit as “meritless” and “mudslinging.”
