Homeless plaintiff Richard Kreimer

Richard Kreimer

Homeless Man Is a Frequent Plaintiff, Collecting Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars
 

ABA Journal Law News Now
by Debra Cassens Weiss
August 3, 2011

It can be costly to arrest Richard Kreimer, or to throw him out of your business.

Richard Kreimer is homeless, but not exactly penniless, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reports. Over the years he has filed nearly 20 lawsuits alleging violation of his First Amendment or civil rights, bringing "a good bit of media coverage and hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements," the story says.

Kreimer may be most famous for his successful suit against the library in Morristown, N.J., for barring him from the premises, which garnered him an $80,000 settlement in 1991. He had claimed he was unlawfully ousted for his hygiene and odd behavior. In another suit against Morristown claiming police harassment, he won a $150,000 settlement.

Other defendants have included a pharmacy, a coffeehouse, a Chinese restaurant, and other municipalities, the story says. His most recent suit accuses New Jersey transit police of tossing him from a train station based on an unconstitutional anti-loitering law.

The Star-Ledger spoke with Bruce Rosen, who represented Kreimer in the Morristown Library case. Kreimer is "making a life out of these lawsuits," Rosen said. "It’s become kind of like a sting operation, where he’s waiting for someone to violate his rights. ...This is a way for him to make money." Read more

Richard Kreimer

Homeless N.J. man sues NJ Transit 4 times, most recently over loitering, search

The Star-Ledger
by Alexi Friedman 
August 2, 2011

Richard Kreimer calls himself NJ Transit’s most valuable commuter. He has also called himself a plaintiff in four lawsuits filed against the agency, most recently in June.

"Nobody travels the trains more than me, but I’m not going to tolerate being harassed," the 62-year-old Kreimer said last week from NJ Transit’s Secaucus Junction station, where he was sitting on a bench eating lunch.

Kreimer, who is homeless, has made a name for himself over the years by suing NJ Transit, the Morristown Library, CVS pharmacy, a coffeehouse, a Chinese restaurant and various municipalities and mayors, all alleging First Amendment and civil rights violations. In most instances, he has been barred from or thrown out of a location. Kreimer believes he is a target because he is homeless. Read more

Bruce Rosen, Esq.

McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen, & Carvelli, P.C.

Bruce Rosen, partner in the firm, leverages over 25 years experience in civil litigation and criminal defense coupled with a successful 15-year career as an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor in bringing about the best result for his clients. Bruce has long been associated with headline-grabbing litigations involving First Amendment issues related to free speech, media law and religious activities. More recently, web defamation, workplace privacy, appropriation of image and data theft issues have also come into focus for this accomplished litigator.

In representing individuals and clients who own and manage both public and private businesses, Bruce has extensive experience in complex and standard commercial litigation, including environmental law and insurance coverage, class action defense, land use, RLIUPA (Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act), business disputes such as minority shareholder litigation, and employment litigation. Read more