Division of Housing and Community Renewal Harassment Allegations Defeated
The landlord hired Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. to defend against claims by New York State that they had harassed tenants in six different rent-regulated buildings over a period of eight years. The state made 35 allegations that included failures to provide services such as gas, electricity and heat, failure to properly control pests and failure to obtain proper permits for renovation.
Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. subpoenaed records from Keyspan, the Fire Department, NYPD, Con-Edison, and the city of New York and compiled this evidence into an extensive timeline spanning several years to show that each and every gas, electrical, or heat outage had been timely and properly handled.
Even before the first pre-trial conference, Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. had interviewed and obtained statements from the exterminators, construction workers, and building supervisors in the buildings to show that the landlords had done everything possible to keep the buildings free of pests and to obtain the necessary permits for construction work.
At the first conference in the presence of the judge, the state attorneys made it clear that there would be absolutely no settlement unless the landlord admitted harassment. However, during a series of meetings with the New York State attorneys in the presence of the assigned judge, Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. was able to produce documentary evidence to counter each and every one of the 35 allegations relating to the buildings.
Following another pre-trial conference with the judge, the state attorneys agreed to remove the claims of harassment for all six buildings. Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. prevailed in forcing the case to be dropped.
Adam Leitman Bailey, Colin Kaufman, and Pete Reid represented the landlord in this action in front of the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.