Claims Filed For Damages

Southampton Town has been slapped with two notices of claim charging negligence and seeking damages from neighbors of William Rudin, the Dune Road, Bridgehampton, homeowner who received a town permit to build a massive subsurface dune restoration system to protect his house from erosion.

Jay Goldberg and Mary Cirillo, whose home is two doors west of Mr. Rudin, are seeking $3 million in damages, and Edward Padula, who lives just west of them, is seeking $2.5 million.

Both notices charge that Mr. Rudin's erosion-control project and a steel cofferdam that was erected to protect it "caused or exacerbated" erosion along the shoreline that damaged their homes and the dunes protecting them.

Mr. Padula was forced to move his house out of harm's way twice. His claim states that he lost his deck and beach walkway and suffered extensive damage to his home's electrical and plumbing systems and garage.

Mr. Goldberg and Ms. Cirillo's claim stated that they had lost a deck, walkway, and outdoor shower, and been forced to move from their home at least temporarily.

Mr. Rudin's system collapsed in a storm on Jan. 29. Dune Road suffered additional erosion damage in a storm a week later. That storm also destroyed the home of Denis and Carol Kelleher and damaged several others on Potato Road in Sagaponack.

After another storm hit the East End Tuesday night, the town reported no additional property damage, although there was continued erosion, in both areas.