Advertisement Boston Grand Prix CEO files suit, blames city official for flood map mess Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The Boston Grand prix saga is continuing with a $15 million lawsuit filed by former race CEO John Casey against a city environmental official. Casey’s suit, filed earlier this week in Suffolk Superior Court, is against Austin Blackmon, the city’s Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space. It accuses him of withholding information about changes in a FEMA flood map he issued that ultimately sunk plans for the Labor Day 2016 auto race in the city. Casey, representing himself, says Blackmon learned of the flood map change in September 2015, but “failed to notify anyone within City Hall or the Boston Grand Prix of the flood map change until March 16, 2016.” There’s no question that the race’s cancellation has proved disastrous, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in ticket and sponsor money, the Attorney General filing a civil fraud suit against Casey and lingering accusations that Casey personally profited from the race by paying himself hundreds of thousands of dollars. But there’s also little question that the flood map changes were publicized. FEMA and the city hosted an open house, for example, “to learn about the new flood zones for the City of Boston” in January 2016. Furthermore, in AG Maura Healey’s suit, she accused Casey of selling tickets when he knew that the flood map was endangering the likelihood the race would go forward. She wrote in her complaint: “In late 2015 or early 2016, BGP and Casey learned that the Federal Emergency Management ('FEMA') had only recently revised its flood plain map of the Seaport District, which placed a portion of the Race course within a flood plain.” Casey and the AG settled the suit earlier this year for $50,000. Casey did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. Blackmon is sued personally, not as a city employee. He did not respond immediately to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh declined to comment.