MONTVALE—A Superior Court judge ruled March 16 that a petition to immediately restore Park Ridge resident Howard Fredrics’ ability to comment on Mayor Michael Ghassali’s Facebook page was “denied,” although Fredrics’ lawsuit against the mayor could proceed.
Fredrics, chairman at PKRG-TV serving the Borough of Park Ridge, filed a lawsuit March 3 in Superior Court against Ghassali, alleging that Ghassali’s blocking of him from his page was a violation of his First Amendment rights. (See “Park Ridge resident sues Montvale mayor over Facebook blocking” by Michael Olohan, March 12, 2026, at thepressgroup.net.)
Asked to comment on the judge’s decision to deny Fredrics’ request to have his ability to comment on the page restored, Ghassali said he was “not going to comment.” It remains unclear whether Ghassali had been officially served with Fredrics’ lawsuit. He told us he had not when we reached him for comment for our breaking news story.
Superior Court Judge John O’Dwyer ruled March 16 that Fredrics’ attorney had failed to prove “irreparable harm” from Fredrics not being allowed to comment on the mayor’s Facebook page. He said Fredrics had waited nearly a year to file for “injunctive relief” and had not demonstrated that he was precluded from exercising his right to free speech on the borough’s Facebook page.
O’Dwyer wrote that Fredrics “failed to demonstrate a reasonable probability of success on the merits,” noting there is a dispute over whether the Mayor Mike Ghassali Facebook page is a personal page or a government page, as Fredrics contends.
Fredrics’ attorney, Kathleen Redpath-Perez, told us, “In practical terms, it [the ruling] means the Court declined to grant immediate, short-term relief in the form of restoring access while the case is pending. Importantly, this ruling is limited to that preliminary issue.”
Redpath-Perez underscored, “It does not address whether Plaintiff’s constitutional rights were violated. Those issues remain open and will be developed through discovery and ultimately decided on the merits. While this was obviously a disappointing result, it does not affect the viability of the case or the path forward.”
Fredrics contends that the Mayor Mike Ghassali Facebook page is an official government page, not a personal page as Ghassali holds, and should be open to all public commenters.
Fredrics’ lawsuit alleges Ghassali barred him from the Mayor Mike Ghassali Facebook page in March 2025 after he made comments with which the mayor disagreed. These included Ghassali’s declaration of a drone “no-fly zone” over Montvale, his decision to raise the borough’s U.S. flag to full staff for Donald J. Trump’s inauguration despite the overlapping mourning period for former President Jimmy Carter, and questions the mayor posted about immigration data.
Ghassali on March 20 took to his Facebook page to complain that four news outlets, including ours, “missed the mark” by not immediately reporting the judge’s March 16 decision on Fredrics’ request. The borough attorney apprised us of the decision Wednesday afternoon, several hours after our print deadline. Ghassali followed up, “When it’s all over, I will have more to say.”