66 The QUEE NS Courier • BUZZ • MAY 30, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com SCOTT BARON’S STAR OF QUEENS brought to you by SCOTT BARON & ASSOCICATES, P.C. Attorneys & Counselors at Law 1-866-WAS-HURT (866) 927-4878 718.738.9800 star OF queens Mercy Wong Community Board 5 member and co-founder of We Love the Ridgewood Theater COMMUNITY SERVICE: Since Mercy Wong lives near the Ridgewood Theater, she is interested in how the community could use the now-shuttered establishment. As a member of Community Board (CB) 5, Wong is involved with the campaign to re-designate the theater for uses that would enhance her community. With the theater slated for sale, the focus has shifted to involving the community and negotiating with the new owners. “We want the community to be aware that the theater is being sold,” she said. “It’s an important piece of the community.” Wong said CB5 and We Love the Ridgewood Theater are set on engaging the owners in the hope they will be receptive to “keeping the place relevant.” BACKGROUND: Wong moved to New York in 2004 after attending the University of California, Berkeley. She received her graduate degree from Columbia University’s architecture school. Wong works for HLW International, a 128-year-old architecture firm. She mainly works on designing corporate and commercial buildings, but Wong said her personal interest is “doing things that can help the community architecturally, which is why I was drawn to the theater.” FAVORITE MEMORY: “The moment I decided that I was going to do something about the theater. It kind of opened up a world to me that I wasn’t quite familiar with before.” Wong said she now feels more connected to the place where she lives. As an architect, she feels lucky to have a chance to work on a project like this, helping re-purpose a historic property. BIGGEST CHALLENGE: The Ridgewood Theater is Wong’s first project as a CB5 member. She is tasked with imagining uses for the building and its historical facade and negotiating with the new owners. She hopes the community will be involved in the decision and potentially benefit from it. “If there are performance arts or an entertainment venue, that’s good because it’s something that can bring age and ethnicity together.” Other possible uses on Wong’s list include an art gallery, small restaurant and gathering place for seniors. INSPIRATION: Wong says that she is “very humbled to be surrounded by members of CB5 that have been there for a long time. BY LUKE TABET Legally Speaking By: Scott Baron, Attorney at Law A MUTUAL MISTAKE Advertorial Q: Following my brother’s death, I acquired title to his house. I always paid the insurance premiums. One night, a fire damaged this house. Afterwards, we discovered that the policy continued to identify my deceased brother as the named insured. The insurer refuses to pay. A: From what you tell me, there is absolutely no reason to think that the identity of your brother was a factor in evaluating the risk that the insurer agreed to cover. In your own name, you would have been accepted for the very same policy as your brother. The insurer never had a reason to deny you coverage, as more risky than your brother. It is the general rule that where an insurance policy fails to conform to the agreement between the parties in consequence of their mutual mistake (or the mistake of one party and fraud of the other), a court will ‘reform’ the policy so as to make it conform to the actual agreement between the parties. This policy reflects no more than a mutual mistake, which ought to be disregarded. The insurer fully intended to go on insuring the very same house and always was happy to accept your premium payment. There is absolutely no justification for denying you coverage. The law responds to changed conditions; exceptions and variations abound. Here, the information is general; always seek out competent counsel. This article shall not be construed as legal advice Copyright © 2013 Scott Baron & Associates, P.C. All rights reserved. 159-49 Cross Bay Boulevard, Howard Beach, New York 11414 1750 Central Park Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10710 718-738-9800, 914-337-9800, 1-866-927-4878 Our job is making sure no longer goes that waste to waste. Find out more at ThinkGreen.com Energy creation. Recycling programs. Closed-loop solutions. Those are just a few of the innovations we’re delivering for customers and communities alike. We live in a world where things can no longer go to waste. That’s why Waste Management is working to get the most from resources. It’s good for business and the environment. ©2012 Waste Management, Inc.
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