http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/14/nyregion/chris-christie-summons-bridgegate-case.html 2016-10-13 20:21:54 Criminal Complaint Against Gov. Chris Christie in Bridge Case Can Move Forward The judge found there was probable cause for the case, stemming from a complaint that accuses Mr. Christie of official misconduct, to continue. === A New Jersey judge on Thursday allowed a criminal complaint to proceed against Gov. The complaint submitted to Roy F. McGeady, a municipal court judge in Bergen County, was filed by William J. Brennan, a retired firefighter with a history of lawsuits against government agencies. The Bergen County prosecutor’s office must now decide whether to seek an indictment. The unexpected development, which unfolded in a courtroom that typically deals with relatively minor crimes, is the latest headache for Mr. Christie as a result of the lane closings. Mr. Brennan’s complaint accuses Mr. Christie of failing on Sept. 11, 2013, to order his subordinates to reopen access lanes to the bridge in Fort Lee, N.J. That was the third day of the four-day shutdown, which erupted into a scandal that helped derail Mr. Christie’s presidential ambitions and led to federal charges against three of the governor’s top officials. Two of those officials are on trial in Newark, while the third has pleaded guilty and is the prosecution’s star witness. Federal prosecutors say the scheme was intended to punish the mayor of Fort Lee, a Democrat, for refusing to endorse the re-election of Mr. Christie, a Republican. In his complaint, Mr. Brennan writes that the mayor, Mark J. Sokolich, and Fort Lee residents “were deprived the benefit and enjoyment of their community as a consequence of this intentional evil minded act.’’ In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Brennan, 50, said the tipping point for his legal action was a particular day of testimony in the federal trial of two of Mr. Christie’s aides on charges that they authorized the lane closings and then helped to cover up their true motive. Mr. Brennan said that though he believed that Mr. Christie knew about the lane closings all along, the evidence for his complaint emerged last month when David Wildstein, a former ally of the governor who has pleaded guilty to orchestrating the scheme, testified that Mr. Christie was told about the shutdown three days after they began, during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Mr. Brennan said he had been in the federal courthouse listening to Mr. Wildstein’s testimony and later got a transcript of the testimony to submit along with his complaint. “Here you have a prime example of the government turning its power against the citizens, and that is the definition of totalitarianism,” Mr. Brennan said. In New Jersey, citizens are entitled to file criminal complaints, which a judge then must assess to determine if there is enough evidence to issue a summons. If a judge fails to find probable cause, then the complaint is dismissed. Brian T. Murray, a spokesman for Mr. Christie, called the complaint “dishonorable,” and accused Mr. Brennan of being a “serial complainant and political activist with a history of abusing the judicial system.” “The simple fact is the governor had no knowledge of the lane realignments either before they happened or while they were happening,” said Mr. Murray, who added that the governor’s lawyers planned to appeal the ruling. “This matter has already been thoroughly investigated by three separate independent investigations.” Maureen Parenta, a spokeswoman for the Bergen County prosecutor’s office declined to comment. Gurbir S. Grewal, the acting district attorney, was appointed by Mr. Christie.