Nahant response to Northeastern delayed

NAHANT — The town’s July 26 response deadline to Northeastern University’s legal motion calling for Nahant to pay $25 million worth of damages has been indefinitely postponed.

In April, Essex County Superior Court sided with Northeastern’s defense in an eminent-domain case involving 12.5 acres of land at East Point. The university argued that Nahant’s “dominant” reason for wanting to take the land, which is owned by Northeastern, was to block the university from expanding its Marine Science Center or any other potential development, as opposed to preserving open space, recreation, or wildlife area.

“Our rebuttal to Northeastern’s damages claim was due July 26, but that has been stayed, meaning postponed,” Board of Selectmen Chair Josh Antrim said.

According to Town Administrator Tony Barletta, lawyers from both Northeastern and Nahant are set to meet with Judge Jeffrey Karp on Friday, Aug. 2.

“Hopefully, we’ll have some update on what the process of this next phase of the litigation is going to be after that meeting,” Barletta said.

Antrim added that the purpose of the hearing is not necessarily to make decisions, but to define the legal process moving forward.

Resident Ken Carangelo has closely followed the ongoing litigation between the town and the university. He expressed concern about how he believes Nahant’s chance of success in the suit is minimal and that it is no longer a “winning proposition.”

“Every single ruling has not been in the town’s favor, and somehow they’re still pawing ahead,” Carangelo said. “From Northeastern’s perspective, why would they settle for anything less than what they get awarded?”