chestnut holdings lawsuit

I want to thank Attorney General Letitia James and her team for their ongoing commitment, consistency, swift action, and thorough investigation into this important issue., A key premise of the lead law in 2004 was to make it clear that landlords had the prime responsibility to make sure the apartments they rent do not have lead-based paint hazards, said Matthew Chachre, attorney, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation. In 2020, an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that over a period of more than six years, at least 18 children were poisoned by lead paint while residing in 17 of Endzones estimated 89 properties. Childrens lives and futures are a stake in this ongoing effort, and the actions we take today will help to safeguard our youth and punish those who would harm them., Families living in Buffalos older, distressed properties are disproportionately vulnerable to the serious health consequences of lead poisoning, said U.S. Representative Brian Higgins. We are fortunate to have Letitia James in our corner as Attorney General. quoteRotator.delay=5;quoteRotator.fadeDuration=1;quoteRotator.fadeoutDuration=2;quoteRotator.quotesInit(); At Chestnut Holdings, we value our relationships with our tenants and are dedicated to building and preserving our tenant communities. View Case; Cited Cases; ALEJANDRO HUGGINS, on behalf of himself and others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, v. forms until after the February 18 deadline had passed, and (2) did not receive any text message notice about this lawsuit, Decl. A property manager overseeing more than 6,000 apartment units in 134 buildings in New York City has been noncompliant with lead-paint regulations, state State AG says to Bronx property manager get the lead out or go Todays agreement, negotiated in partnership with Onondaga County and the City of Syracuse, permanently bans Kiggins and Endzone from managing or owning residential rental properties in the state of New York. Lead paint has been found in approximately 43 percent of all of New York dwellings. Select a Language Below/Seleccione el Idioma Abajo. Chestnut Holdings The company was later dropped from the suit. Chestnut Holdings, Regulation. b``$@z'@ e1 According to the complaint, 600 children in Chestnut Holdings buildings are under the age of six and receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, colloquially known as food stamps. Google Translate cannot translate all types of documents, and it may not give you an exact translation all the time. Exposure to lead paint in our aging housing stock puts children in grave jeopardy and our future at risk. Understanding Recent Changes to New Yorks Gun Laws, Endzone Properties Barred from Owning or Managing RentalProperties in New York, Must Pay $215,0000, Landlord Failed to Maintain Lead-Safe Conditions in Rental Properties,Resulting in At Least 18 Children Poisoned With Lead. Attorney General James thanks Onondaga County and the City of Syracuse for their partnership in this matter. Aaron Carr, whose tenant watchdog group Housing Rights Initiative is also suing Chestnut for deregulating apartments in buildings receiving tax benefits, said that James is proving to be the most proactive attorney general combatting unlawful real estate practices.. Every family deserves to live in a home free of lead hazards, and I will work to ensure that happens.. Thats what vouchers are there for.. This matter is being handled by Attorney General James Environmental Protection Bureau by Assistant Attorney General Abigail Rosner, Special Counsel Sara Haviva Mark, Assistant Attorney General Samantha Liskow, Deputy Bureau Chief Monica Wagner, Chief Scientist Jodi Feld, Environmental Scientist Jennifer Nalbone, Environmental Science Intern Jeffrey Fralick, and Amanda Moody, Legal Assistant II, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Lemuel M. Srolovic. This Google translation feature is provided for informational purposes only. The Office of Attorney General's website is provided in English. The agreement also requires Kiggins and Endzone to pay $215,000 that will be used to prevent the exposure of children to lead paint within the City of Syracuse or Onondaga County, and/or to provide assistance to the families affected by lead poisoning. Back in 2018, a woman sued Chestnut Holdings for failing to accept her, Tips for Remote and Hybrid Learning in NYC. Visite 516abogado.com, Huggins v. Chestnut Holdings of New York, Inc.; 1425 U LLC; and Jonathan WienerCivil Action No. Todays announcement is welcome news and communicates a strong message of just how intolerable it is to promise the safety of a place to live only to deliver danger. Lead poisoning is completely preventable, and the city has plenty of laws on the books but they are rarely enforced. Beginning in the 20th century, paint with dangerously high levels of lead was used on both exterior and interior surfaces of housing in the United States. Using shell companies to avoid complying with city rental registration requirements; Failing to comply with city and state property management and real estate broker licensing requirements; Conducting business in New York without authority to do so from the Department of State; and. However, the "Google Translate" option may assist you in reading it in other languages. The following day, a tester from the NYC Human Rights Commission inquired about the same apartment that the plaintiff has. Chestnut Holdings continues to amass properties in the Bronx, paying $46.6 million for a 10-building portfolio in the borough. WebCompany profile page for Chestnut Holdings Inc including stock price, company news, press releases, executives, board members, and contact information This highly toxic metal causes serious and irreversible harms, and I am committed to ensuring that landlords follow the laws to protect young children from lead poisoning.. Our Church has had a great relationship with our landlord, Chestnut Holdings, for over fifteen years. The Bronx rental management company firmly denies the accusations, claiming they have hundreds of tenants currently paying for rent in vouchers. NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL. A separate federal investigation of lead levels in private apartments that receive Section 8 benefits is ongoing. sued a group of Buffalo individuals and companies for repeated violations of city, county, state, and federal laws by illegally allowing lead paint-related hazards to proliferate in their rental properties. 0 95 worked with DreamYards art instructors to create an art display that was unveiled in the lobby of Chestnuts building at 1504 Sheridan Avenue. All rights reserved. I'd like to thank Attorney General Letitia James for her commitment to the health and safety of families across our state, and for ensuring that all landlords provide safe, healthy, lead-free housing that is in full compliance with our laws. Children who have been exposed during critical stages of early development to even very low levels of lead are at risk for neurological and physical problems. This is extremely troubling for Black/African American communities because we know from national studiesthat Black children living below the poverty line are twice as likely to suffer from lead poisoning as poor white children. See some of the wonderful letters we have received from our tenants over the years expressing appreciation for various matters. NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL. We must continue to ensure that landlords are in compliance with the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act and continue to promote this important law. NEW YORK New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a lawsuit against Chestnut Holdings of New York, Inc., a property management corporation, for failing to comply with provisions of New York Citys lead poisoning prevention law. The Bronx real estate company is allegedly refusing to consider tenants with housing vouchers. This Google translation feature is provided for informational purposes only. Chestnut Holdings is dedicated to visually and culturally enriching our Bronx neighborhood. Legal Services NYC, a non-profit offering free civil legal services to low-income individuals, claims that Chestnut Holdings brokers denied housing to eight New Yorkers after these tenants revealed they would be paying their rent with vouchers. Lindo claims he attempted to rent a Chestnut apartment in 2019, but never heard back from his broker after revealing he would be paying his entire rent with a housing voucher. It produced thousands of pages of documents and information, and continued to offer more evidence of compliance. 18 Civ. As reported in Crains New York Business, Chestnut Holdings is trying to evict WeWork from a midtown New York City building, and has filed a suit stating that it is 3118 0 obj <> endobj Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), and Peter D. Lopez, Regional Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced today that the United States has filed a civil lawsuit against Chestnut Petroleum Distributor, Inc., and its affiliates CPD Energy Corp., CPD I applaud Attorney General James ongoing efforts to enforce the citys lead law and hold landlords that violate this law accountable.. I thank Attorney General James for taking on one of the largest slumlords in Buffalo and holding them to account for their negligence., Recognizing that approximately 80 percent of Buffalos children with elevated blood lead levels live in rental singles and doubles, the Buffalo and Erie County Lead Safe Task Force has been linking arms with partners in the city, county and New York state to eradicate lead poisoning in many ways, said Cara Matteliano, senior director, Policy and Strategic Partnerships, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, convener of the Buffalo & Erie County Lead Safe Task Force. When the tester revealed they would be paying rent with employment-based income, the broker promptly forwarded the necessary documents to get the rental process started. Last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law four bills targeting landlords to strengthen enforcement of lead-paint rules. The Environmental Protection Bureau is part of the Division of Social Justice, led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux, and all under the oversight of First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy. After revealing they had a CityFHEPS voucher, the plaintiff was told they would get a call back from the broker, but never did. The Office of Attorney General does not make any promises, assurances, or guarantees as to the accuracy of the translations provided. James says at this point, there is no evidence of children being sick. But, far too many New York City landlords continue to ignore their obligations under the law and expose our children to wholly-preventable lead-based paint hazards. All rights reserved. Chestnut Holdings will pay $300,000 to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) for initiatives to protect children from lead poisoning and ensure that all of its more than 6,000 apartments throughout New York City are in full compliance with the law. Revelations in 2018 that the New York City Housing Authority covered up exposure to lead which can damage childrens brains shocked the public and led to the appointment of a federal monitor. The OAGs investigation into Chestnut began in 2018 and determined that the company engaged in repeated violations of the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, including failing to inspect apartments to determine if a child under 6 years of age lives there, failing to conduct complete annual investigations of apartments for hazards that are conducive to lead poisoning, and failing to take the necessary measures when an apartment turns over. Initiating evictions of tenants in lead-poisoned houses in violation of New York law. The health code thus requires lead paint to be enclosed with a rigid surface, such as drywall. 2 3-4, The New York City Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act requires owners of apartments and houses built before 1960 to take critical safety measures to prevent lead poisoning in children tenants. Vouchers such as FHEPS, CityFEHPS, and HRA subsidies are provided to New Yorkers with the intention of keeping them out of homeless shelters. Additionally, Chestnut Holdings repeatedly certified, in new leases, that it had complied with the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Acts turnover requirements, even though it had not done so. Students from P.S. Citing Exposure of Children to Lead Poisoning, Attorney Developer files $30M lawsuit over construction of W/Element WebChestnut and Bronx is Blooming . The OAG will continue to work with them and other dedicated local partners to continue to make progress in combatting childhood lead poisoning in the region. During this same period, at least 32 Endzone properties were flagged by the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County for chipping, peeling, deteriorating paint, and other conditions conducive to lead poisoning, which are prohibited by county and city laws. Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause serious and irreversible adverse health effects. Attorney General James thanks HPD for its assistance in this and other related ongoing investigations. The Office of Attorney General does not make any promises, assurances, or guarantees as to the accuracy of the translations provided. Children under the age of 6 are more likely to be exposed to lead than any other age group, as their normal behaviors could result in them chewing lead paint chips; breathing in or swallowing dust from old lead paint that gets on floors, windowsills, and hands; and lead can be found in soil, toys, and other consumer products. The suit alleges that Chestnut Holdings has put the health of its tenants at risk by repeatedly violating the New York City Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, This is unacceptable, and I am very proud of Attorney General Letitia James for her work to hold Chestnut Holdings accountable., Many of my Bronx constituents have been exposed to dangerously high levels of lead paint in their homes, putting young children at risk, said State Assemblymember Kenny Burgos. This Google translation feature is provided for informational purposes only. The New York Public Library also joined to encourage attendees to sign up and visit their local branches. In October 2000, partnerships comprising Lenfest and several other individuals involved in the Philadelphia real estate scene, along with a related entity Back in Property Manager Sued Over Lead-Paint Compliance by New York Chestnut Holdings The Judge overseeing this case is John Preston Bailey. Unfortunately, some landlords have ignored that responsibility with impunity., New York Lawyers for the Public Interest supports Attorney General Letitia James' offices action today to protect families from toxic lead exposure through enforcement of New York Citys Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, Local Law 1 of 2004, said Christine Appah, senior staff attorney, Environmental Justice Program, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. 6 were here. Attorney General James is continuing to pursue legal actions across New York to end the scourge of childhood lead poisoning by holding accountable landlords that allow lead paint-related hazards to proliferate in low-income rental properties. One project we have been working on cultivates environmental awareness by designating a specific tree or plant name and installing a custom made hand crafted bronze plaque on the property faade. The suit alleges that Chestnut Holdings has put the health of its tenants at risk by repeatedly violating the New York City Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, The OAG also found that Kiggins and Endzone engaged in repeated illegal and fraudulent acts by either not providing federally required lead disclosures or providing materially false and deceptive lead disclosures to tenants and purchasers of Endzoneproperties. An attorney representing Chestnut Holdings responded to this lawsuit saying the company has fully and completely cooperated with the Attorney General's Office in its lead paint investigation. Mehdi Bolour faces 25 criminal charges over illegally rented Hollywood building, More than 1,000 children in public housing have had high levels of lead since 2012, Landlord groups say lead poisoning laws will hurt affordable housing, Chestnut Holdings buys Bronx-centric 19-building retail portfolio, High Street, Daiwa bring resi to River Oaks, St. Charles revamp of torched resort takes center stage in local City Hall races, LIV plans massive resi project in Fort Worth, KBS deal to sell Union Bank Plaza to Joel Schreiber delayed for 9th time. Lead poisoning is devastating for a childs future health, and I applaud Attorney General James for taking swift measures to ensure this never happens again., These settlement agreements are showing landlords who have generally acted autonomously for decades that they can no longer ignore their duty and continue to put the health and safety of our communities at risk, said New York CityCouncil Member Oswald Feliz. This seems to be the case with Chestnut Holdings. Property Manager Sued Over Lead-Paint Compliance by New York NYC workers strip searched in hunt for 'stolen' money - New York Commitment to the Community Too many suffer from a lifetime of avoidable debilities here in New York City. CHESTNUT HOLDINGS Op. A copy of this disclaimer can also be found on our Disclaimer page. The suit alleges that Chestnut Holdings has put the health of its tenants at risk by repeatedly violating the New York City Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, which requires property owners to take several critical measures to prevent children under six from being exposed to paint with dangerously high levels of lead. We uncover insider info about living in NYC and keep you updated on everything from tantalizing experiences and eats, to iconic stories and urban legends. In September 2020, she sued a group of Buffalo individuals and companies for repeated violations of city, county, state, and federal laws by illegally allowing lead paint-related hazards to proliferate in their rental properties. hbbd``b`9$>`n> 1 u) q "D,i. Data also shows that Black children are twice as likely as white children to have elevated blood lead levels almost 23 percent of Black children in Onondaga County tested for lead had dangerous levels of lead in their blood, while less than 11 percent of white children tested had dangerous blood lead levels. Earlier in September 2021, she reached a pre-suit agreement with A&E Holdings to ensure that children living in its New York City apartments are protected from dangerous lead-based paint. Lead paint in residential housing has been a pervasive problem for decades, particularly in New York. These include annual inspections and ensuring that an apartment is code compliant when a tenant moves into their new home. New York State has the highest percentage of buildings built before 1950 in the nation. This agreement with Endzone Properties is proof of that collaboration, and I thank the attorney general and her team for their partnership in this effort., The message is clear: Landlords who repeatedly put children and families at risk of lead poisoning are not welcome in the City of Syracuse. On February 6, 2018, Plaintiff Huggins filed a civil lawsuit in the United States District Court Southern District of New York against CHESTNUT HOLDINGS OF NEW Some of the worst landlords in our city put the health and safety of New Yorkers at risk to protect their own profits, and Chestnut Holdings is near the top of my office's list, said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. A group of eight New Yorkers is suing a Bronx real estate company for allegedly refusing to accept housing vouchers as rent payment. This is the second time the property management company is being sued for housing discrimination. Brian Zak/NY Post A group Upon revealing that she would be paying her rent with the voucher, the broker shut down the conversation and said, Oh, were not taking those.. This particular plaintiff was forced to remain in a homeless shelter for seven more months after the incident with Chestnut. The OAG has been active in holding landlords and property managers accountable for violating childhood lead poisoning prevention laws in New York. The lawsuit, filed in February 2020, alleged that Chestnut Holdings put the health of its tenants, primarily children, at risk by repeatedly violating New York Citys lead poisoning prevention laws, which require landlords to take critical measures to prevent children under 6 years old from being exposed to paint with dangerously high levels of lead.