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NYC Council, Vickie Paladino reach settlement in lawsuit over disciplinary charges
By
Arya Sundaram
Published May 11, 2026
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By
Arya Sundaram
Published May 11, 2026
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Councilmember Vickie Paladino and the City Council have agreed to end their fight over the member’s social media posts, with the lawmaker agreeing to remove three posts decried as Islamophobic and the Council dropping disciplinary charges filed against her, according to terms of the settlement.
The Council's ethics committee will drop disciplinary charges against the Queens Republican for “disorderly behavior” and violating the Council’s anti-harassment and discrimination policy, according to the settlement, which still must go before a judge.
Paladino will also remove all mention of her councilmember role on her social media account on X and delete three tweets specifically cited in the disciplinary charges leveled by her colleagues on the Council.
Spokespeople for the Council and Paladino declined to comment, citing a stipulation of the settlement.
In a statement on social media, Sandra Ung, chair of the Council's ethics committee, said that she appreciated that Paladino took down her tweets, which Ung disapproved of.
“I believe the resolution strikes the right balance between protection of Council staff and the First Amendment liberties of Council Members,” Ung said in a post on X.
Ung's statement was outlined as a stipulation of the settlement, which also mentioned a statement forthcoming from Paladino.
Paladino's required statement, according to the settlement, will clarify that her social media posts "were not directed at any Council Member of staff," she is responsible for the content, and that she "never intended to make Council Members or staff feel unwelcomed or unsafe in their work environment."
She must post the statement within 48 hours after a judge approves the settlement, according to the agreement.
The settlement comes after fellow councilmembers decried several social media posts by Paladino as being Islamophobic.
In a February tweet, Paladino criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s appointment of Faiza Ali, a Muslim American woman and former Council staffer born and raised in Brooklyn, as the city’s chief immigration officer.
“New York is under foreign occupation. There's really no other way to put it,” Paladino posted. “Does this administration have one single actual American in it?”
Menin condemned the remarks in a social media post of her own, stating, “This Islamophobic rhetoric is deeply offensive.” Menin added, “I condemn it in the strongest terms.”
Councilmember Shekar Krishnan, a Democrat who sits on the ethics committee, said in a post that “Racism and Islamophobia have no place in City Hall.”
More recently, Paladino criticized Mamdani for praying with sanitation workers before a winter blizzard.
“This is part of Islamic conquest,” Paladino wrote in a Feb. 23 tweet. “The message is very clear — we are being replaced.”
Tagged
Politics
Race And Justice Unit
new york city
queens
vickie paladino
Arya Sundaram
Arya is a reporter covering race and justice. Got a tip? Email: [email protected] or reach Arya on Signal at 512-650-8767.
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