ALBANY, NY – Two lawsuits filed in New York State Supreme Court level serious accusations against state attorneys Ryan Abel and Rebecca Denue, alleging they have unlawfully retained six aluminum boats while refusing to return them to their rightful owner—a contractor who built the vessels under a partially unpaid DEC contract.
The suits also call out three New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) employees—William H. Bernard, Dave M. Parker, and Brendan A. Hayes—for allegedly taking the boats on unauthorized outings, making unapproved modifications, and causing extensive, costly damage.
Contract Breached, Property Held Hostage
According to court documents, the DEC failed to fulfill payment obligations, leaving the contractor as the legal owner of the boats. Despite this, Abel and Denue have allegedly continued to hold the vessels without justification.
Even more troubling, the lawsuits claim the attorneys demanded the contractor drop a separate legal action in exchange for releasing the boats—an alleged misuse of government authority that appears coercive and completely unrelated to any official duty.
DEC Staff Allegedly Turned State Property Into Personal Toys
In a parallel case, Bernard, Parker, and Hayes are accused of using the vessels for their own purposes—joyriding, tinkering, and operating them without consent or oversight. These activities reportedly voided manufacturer warranties and left the boats in need of significant repair, drastically cutting their value.
The complaint paints a picture of carelessness and entitlement, with state employees allegedly treating expensive assets like personal playthings rather than government property.
Heavy Financial Fallout
The contractor estimates potential daily earnings of $3,000 per boat had they been used for commercial rentals or charters—meaning months of lost income due to the alleged seizure. Worse still, the contractor reports that defamatory remarks made to a supplier, Mercury Marine, may have cost them over $2 million in future business and vendor relationships.
Officials Allegedly Acting Outside the Law
Both lawsuits stress that the accused individuals were acting on their own, not in any official government capacity. As a result, the contractor argues, they are not entitled to state immunity and must be held personally accountable.
The cases have been filed in the Supreme Court rather than the Court of Claims, underscoring the argument that these actions were rogue behavior—not protected state functions.
Legal Disclosures
All allegations remain unproven at this stage. No court has yet ruled on the matter, and none of the individuals named—Abel, Denue, Bernard, Parker, or Hayes—have issued public responses.
Members of the public can find further information in the case filings with the New York State Supreme Court in Albany County. Additional updates will be released as the legal process unfolds.
