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New Milford's Yoel Weishauss on Tuesday filed the suit in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, the New York Daily News first reported.
Weishauss, in his late 30s, was returning from an overseas trip when an armed agent told him he had to fill out the New York State Traveler Health Form, despite having been cleared by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Nov. 18, the suit alleges.
An executive order issued by Cuomo mandates airline traveler complete the questionnaire. Anyone who doesn't will be fined $2,000, if they're coming from a COVID-19 hotspot.
“Defendant [Cuomo] acting under the color of law is interfering with Customs and Border Protection by imposing its own dictate of screening for admission into the United States,” Weishuass' suit says.
The suit also says Weishauss's January travel plans are threatened by the fact that he'll be "under duress" to give personal information to New York state officials, the Daily News reports.
It was not clear how long Weishauss was held at JFK. He allegedly refused to tell the NY Daily News where he was going in January, or why he did not want to fill out the form.
In 2011, Weshuass filed a suit against the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey following toll hikes, alleging the agency failed to provide sufficient notice.
A spokesman for Cuomo told the Daily News he lost track of the number of "frivolous" lawsuits his administration faces in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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