Renters sue Kushner Cos. for alleged tenant harassment

<p>A group of current and former tenants of 184 Kent Ave. are taking the president's son-in-law to court over an alleged renter harassment campaign.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jul 16, 2018, 9:17 PM

Updated 2,103 days ago

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A group of current and former tenants of 184 Kent Ave. are taking the president's son-in-law to court over an alleged renter harassment campaign.
They have filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Kushner Cos. real estate firm alleging that their landlord pressured them into moving out of their rent-stabilized apartments.
The company is owned by the family of Jared Kushner, who is married to President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka.
According to the lawsuit, after the Kushners took over the property three years ago, an orchestrated campaign of deafening construction noises, dangerous chemicals and carcinogens aimed to force them out so their units could be converted into luxury condominiums that would generate far higher rents.
According to the Associated Press, 75 percent of the building's units have been emptied or sold since the takeover.
A spokesperson for Kushner Cos. denied pressuring any tenants into leaving and said the landlord addressed complaints promptly.
Housing activists called that statement far from the truth.
"To circumvent New York City housing laws, it appears that Kushner Cos. commenced a deliberate campaign to systematically harass tenants out of their apartments using illegal, dangerous and destructive real estate practices," said Aaron Carr, executive director of the Housing Rights Initiative.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office also announced Monday it would launch its own investigation into the allegations.


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