Watertown City Employee Dies In Workplace Accident
Eliopoulos was a process worker at the waste water treatment plant and that he was a valued city employee since January 2007
November 21, 2017
WATERTOWN, NY
A Watertown city employee is dead following an accident Monday at the city's waste water treatment plant.
City Manager Sharon Addison said in a release Tuesday that Gregory Eliopoulos died in what she called "a workplace accident." The victim's age was not available.
"It is with incredible sadness that I inform you of the grave loss of a valued City employee," Addison wrote.
She said the accident was reported at 6 p.m. to Jefferson County dispatchers at 6 p.m. Police, fire and Guilfoyle Ambulance personnel responded.
Eliopoulos was taken to Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy was scheduled to take place Tuesday afternoon.
Addison said Eliopoulos was a process worker at the waste water treatment plant and that he was a valued city employee since January 2007. She released no further information about how the accident occurred.
"It's a tragedy. It's a significant loss to the community. I can't say enough about what we thought about that employee and what a great job they did. But more importantly, our thoughts and prayers are with the deceased," said Mayor Joe Butler.
Addison said police detectives and waste water treatment staff are meeting Tuesday with Public Employee Safety and Health inspectors to investigate the accident.
"The PESH investigation into the death of the worker at the Watertown City Sewage Plant is ongoing and I can’t comment further at this time. There have been no investigations at or complaints with regard to the facility in the past and there are no other ongoing investigations at the site currently," said Cullen Burnell, spokesperson for the New York State Department of Labor.
Mark Kotzin, a spokesperson for the Civil Service Employees Association in Central New York, confirmed that Eliopoulos was a member of CSEA.
"Our occupational safety and health specialist was at the plant this morning conducting an investigation along with the New York State Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau and Watertown Police Department. We are actively investigating what happened and are not in a position yet to provide any more information," said Kotzin.
"On behalf of the City of Watertown staff, our heartfelt condolences and prayers are sent to the family of this employee," Addison said.
City Councilmember Mark Walczyk tweeted: "I hope that you'll take a moment today to appreciate how precious and fleeting life can be. Last night, a Watertown employee was working for us all the the waste water treatment plant when an accident caused the loss of his life; we lament."
Gregory Eliopoulos was also known as Gregory G. Geno.
==================
UPDATE from Watertown City Manager
It is with regret that I inform you that the employee involved in yesterday evening’s fatal accident was Gregory Eliopoulos.
Greg served as a Process Worker I with the Waste Water Treatment Plant. He was a valued employee of the City for over 10 years having started in January 2007. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.
==================
'Bizarre' Argument Lands Bankruptcy Attorney, Client in Trouble
John Caher
New York Law Journal
06-07-2005
A creditor's ill-advised theory that the assets of a debtor's fiancée must be included in a bankruptcy petition has resulted in sanctions and a sharp reprimand from a federal judge.
Northern District of New York Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Littlefield Jr. said the theory advanced by attorney David P. Antonucci of Watertown, N.Y., was so flawed that his client, Northern Federal Credit Union, should be penalized as well for relying on such poor counsel.
"Unfortunately for Attorney Antonucci, this case does not exemplify good lawyering," Littlefield wrote in In re: Gregory Eliopoulos, 03-16950. "Unfortunately for the Credit Union, it was not objectively reasonable for it to rely upon such poor legal advice... . As such, they are jointly and severally liable for any sanction to be awarded by a final order of this court."
Littlefield's decision arose in the context of an adversary proceeding Antonucci instituted on behalf of his credit union client.
The creditor, which the court described as "aggressive," suspected that debtor Gregory Eliopoulos had access to more assets than disclosed in his Chapter 7 petition. It challenged that petition, arguing that the debtor was funneling money into his fiancée's home and living expenses for her children.
Antonucci said, according to court records, that the theory was a "[shot] in the dark" and that he had no proof to back up the claims. The judge said Antonucci "freely admitted" on at least five occasions that neither he nor his client had sufficient information to back up its allegations.
"Because of its bizarre conduct in this case and its frequent appearance as a litigant before this court, it seems that the Credit Union sought by way of example to send a message to its broad customer base that any bankruptcy filing will be highly scrutinized," Littlefield wrote.
The judge said there is no legal authority for the theory that a debtor is required to disclose a fiancée's income. When it became evident that that theory would fail, Littlefield said, Antonucci then offered a "particularly bizarre" argument that §707( of the Bankruptcy Code, which gives the U.S. Trustee authority to seek relief for substantial abuse, can be invoked by the creditor.
"When it became apparent that Attorney Antonucci had exhausted the 'concealed income' theory in defense of his filing and continued advocacy of the complaint, he argued that the complaint was legally warranted on alternate grounds of undisclosed, fraudulently concealed assets or preferential transfers," Littlefield wrote. "The court does not wish to chill the Credit Union's participation in future bankruptcy proceedings, but it cannot tolerate or condone the conduct of Attorney Antonucci and the Credit Union in this proceeding."
Anthony Inserra of Watertown appeared for the debtor.
