According to a source in City Council candidate PJ Kim's campaign, a special referee has recommended the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against him by candidate Margaret Chin. The two sides are due in State Supreme Court later this afternoon. It will be up to Judge Edward Lehner to decide whether to accept the referee's recommendation. Chin's lawsuit alleged fraud by Kim's campaign in collecting signatures to get on the September Primary ballot – and asked for his removal from the ballot. In his recommendation, the referee, Leslie Lowenstein, said Chin's case failed to "find that the candidate engaged in fraudulent conduct." Lowenstein also advised the judge to consider whether to impose sanctions on Chin and her attorney, calling their conduct "frivolous." The candidates, and their surrogates, will almost certainly have a lot more to say before, during and after today's hearing. More (much more) later.
