ROSLYN BANCORP INC
S-8, EX-5, 2000-11-13
SAVINGS INSTITUTIONS, NOT FEDERALLY CHARTERED
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            EXHIBIT 5.0   OPINION OF MULDOON, MURPHY & FAUCETTE LLP




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                              November 13, 2000





Board of Directors
Roslyn Bancorp, Inc.
One Jericho Plaza
Jericho, New York 11573


      Re:   Benefit Restoration Plan for The Roslyn Savings Bank

Ladies and Gentlemen:

      We have acted as counsel  for Roslyn  Bancorp,  Inc.  (the  "Company")  in
connection with the  registration  under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
on Form S-8 of 200,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock, $.01 par value (the
"Shares"),  to be  issued  under the  Benefit  Restoration  Plan for The  Roslyn
Savings Bank (the "Plan").

      As such  counsel,  we have made such legal and  factual  examinations  and
inquires as we deemed  advisable for the purpose of rendering  this opinion.  In
our  examination,  we have assumed and have not verified (i) the  genuineness of
all  signatures,  (ii) the  authenticity  of all  documents  submitted  to us as
originals,  (iii) the conformity with the originals of all documents supplied to
us as copies,  and (iv) the accuracy and  completeness of all corporate  records
and documents and of all certificates and statements of fact, in each case given
or made available to us by the Company or its subsidiary.

      Based on the foregoing and limited in all respects to Delaware law and the
facts as they  exist on the  date  hereof,  it is our  opinion  that the  Shares
reserved under the Plan have been duly  authorized and, upon the issuance of the
Shares in the manner  described in the Plan, will be validly issued,  fully paid
and nonassessable.

      The following  provisions of the Certificate of  Incorporation  may not be
given effect by a court applying Delaware law, but in our opinion the failure to
give  effect to such  provisions  will not affect the duly  authorized,  validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable status of the Common Stock:

      (a)         Subsections  C.3  and  C.6  of  Article FOURTH which grant the
                  Board the  authority to construe and apply the  provisions  of
                  that Article and subsection




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Board of Directors
November 13, 2000
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                  C.4 or Article FOURTH, to the extent that subsection obligates
                  any  person  to  provide  the  Board  the   information   such
                  subsection authorizes the Board to demand, in each case to the
                  extent,  if any,  that a court  applying  Delaware law were to
                  impose equitable limitations upon such authority; and

      (b)         Article  NINTH  which  authorizes  the Board to  consider  the
                  effect of any offer to acquire the  Company on  constituencies
                  other than stockholders in evaluating any such offer.

      We note that,  although certain portions of the registration  statement on
Form S-8 (the  financial  statements  and schedule)  have been included  therein
(through  incorporation  by reference) on the authority of "experts"  within the
meaning of the Securities Act, we are not experts with respect to any portion of
the  Registration  Statement,  including  without  limitation  to the  financial
statements  or schedules or the other  financial  information  or data  included
therein.

      This opinion is rendered to you solely for your benefit in connection with
the  issuance of the Shares as described  above.  This opinion may not be relied
upon by any other person or for any other  purpose,  and it should not be quoted
in whole or in part or  otherwise  referred to or be filed with or  furnished to
any  governmental  agency (other than the Securities and Exchange  Commission in
connection with the aforementioned  Registration  Statement on Form S-8 in which
this  opinion is  contained)  or any other  person or entity  without  the prior
written consent of this firm.

      We hereby  consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to, and the
reference to this firm in, the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-8.

                                    Very truly yours,

                                    /s/ Muldoon, Murphy & Faucette LLP

                                    MULDOON, MURPHY & FAUCETTE LLP



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