Montvale mayor seeks dismissal of Facebook blocking lawsuit – Pascack Press

MONTVALE, N.J.—An attorney for Mayor Michael Ghassali filed a motion May 21 to dismiss a First Amendment lawsuit against him by a Park Ridge resident who alleges the mayor restricted his right to free expression on an official government social media page. The attorney’s motion said legal documents seeking dismissal of the lawsuit will be filed in Superior Court on Thursday, July 2, and oral argument has been requested on the motion. Christopher Botta, of Botta McCaskey LLC, Ramsey, attorney for Ghassali, states that the mayor’s Facebook page is not an official government page, but rather his personal page, which provides a variety of updates on community news and events. Botta also notes that the borough has its own official Facebook page. Park Ridge resident Howard Fredrics, chairman of PKRG-TV, which serves the Borough of Park Ridge, filed a lawsuit March 3 in Superior Court against Ghassali, alleging that Ghassali’s blocking of him from the Facebook page violated his First Amendment rights. (See “Park Ridge resident sues Montvale mayor over Facebook blocking,” by Michael Olohan, March 12, 2026, at thepressgroup.net.) Ghassali contends his Facebook page is a personal page, not an official government page. The 151-page motion to dismiss cites
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