Haygood v. Hardwick
Andrew Hardwick appealed a Supreme Court order that denied his motion to dismiss a petition to invalidate his independent nominating petition and subsequently granted the petition, invalidating his nomination. The petitioners had alleged widespread fraud and forgery in the signatures collected for Hardwick's independent nominating petition. Hardwick contended that these allegations lacked sufficient specificity, a claim the court rejected, finding that the petition to invalidate adequately incorporated specific objections filed with the Nassau County Board of Elections. The Supreme Court's decision to invalidate was affirmed on appeal, as the court found Hardwick to be chargeable with knowledge of the fraudulent methods employed to gather signatures. Evidence showed subscribing witnesses were paid for collecting signatures before being registered to vote, and dates on petitions were altered, further substantiating the fraud. Additionally, the non-appearance of key subscribing witnesses led to an adverse inference against Hardwick.