Gene Freidman

Early life and education

Born into a Jewish family in Leningrad, Freidman and his family immigrated to the United States as a political refugees in 1976. He attended local public schools in Queens before his admission to The Bronx High School of Science, then went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business from Skidmore College in 1992. He received his law degree from Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City and was admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.

Career

Starting with his father's taxi fleet, Freidman began with 60 yellow cabs and expanded to 900 by 2015. He took the company from a valuation of $2.5 million in 1996 to $120 million in 2009.

In 2005 , Freidman fought for the right to use more environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles in their taxi fleet. The New York City Council had approved alternative-fuel vehicles to be used as taxis, so Freidman had bought a group of hybrid cars at auction worth several hundreds thousand dollars. New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, however, rejected the city council's decision and refused to allow the hybrid cars. Freidman then filed a lawsuit in April 2005 in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan for the right to use hybrid cars in his fleet, including the Ford Escape, which he had purchased.

According to The New York Times, when the New York City Council was "angered by what it saw as dithering by the commission," and in June 2005 passed a bill compelling the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission to approve at least one alternative-fuel vehicle to be used as a taxicab. The commission gave in and that year approved six hybrid models to be used as cabs.

In 2008, Freidman was listed on Crain's New York Business list of "40 Under 40" in 2008. His company operates cabs in New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and New Orleans.

In 2013, Freidman reached a settlement with the New York State Attorney General's office and the Taxi and Limousine Commission over excessive charges to taxi drivers working for three of Freidman's companies. Freidman agreed to pay $750,000 in restitution to drivers and $500,000 in fines. The Attorney General sued Freidman in April 2015 for failing to live up to the terms of the 2013 settlement and for further violations. The suit was settled in April 2016 with Freidman required to pay over $250,000 in fines, damages, and restitution.

In July 2016, Freidman filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for companies that own approximately 90 of his nearly 900 medallions, in an attempt to protect those medallions from foreclosure action by lenders. In December 2016, he agreed to surrender 46 of his medallions to settle obligations to Citibank. In September 2016 Freidman was evicted from his longtime headquarters after falling $170,000 behind on his rent. In April 2017 the Taxi and Limosine Commission refused to renew more than 800 of Freidman's licenses which had expired. According to a report at that time, Freidman still owned about 150 taxi medallions.

Political involvement

Freidman raised more than $50,000 for Mayor Bill de Blasio's campaign and brokered the ceasefire between City Hall and the head of the NYPD sergeants union.