HARLEM, NY — Nearly 40 East Harlem tenants from five buildings have filed a lawsuit against their "predatory" landlord, claiming that he likely stole their security deposits and has refused to fix imminently dangerous conditions, like padlocked fire escapes and a gaping hole in the roof.
The suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday, aims to find out what landlord Isaac Kaissirer and his firm Emerald Equities did with security deposits from the five buildings' tenants and for the court to affirm that the tenants of two buildings with "rent-impairing" violations won't legally owe Kaissirer a dime until the dangerous conditions are remedied.
Many tenants in those two buildings are already on rent strike, since the violations have existed for more than six months since the city first issued violations over a year ago.