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Harassment of tenants of the sponsor in a Co-op

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Harassment of tenants of the sponsor in a Co-op

Postby gefindgefind » Mon Jul 04, 2011 2:02 pm

I am a tenant of the sponsor in a Co-op in Westchester County, N.Y., and have been so since before the conversion took place at my garden apartment complex back in the 80's. About three years ago, a group of residents staged a 'board coup' against the sponsor controlled board and ousted the co-op's property manager who was also the sponsor's property manager. Since then, the new board consisting entirely of resident shareholders has spent over half-a-million dollars in an ongoing lawsuit against the sponsor and the sponsor's property manager. They [Co-op Board] are trying to seize the sponsor owned apartments and treat them as Co-op owned apartments. My dilemma is that I am being harassed on an almost daily basis, both directly and indirectly. I cannot go to the police because they are useless. The Co-op Board President who is spearheading the lawsuit is encouraging many shareholders who are under his/her thumb to harass myself and other tenants of the sponsor who consist mostly of elderly, frightened, rent-controlled, *lone* tenants. I have been approached a number of times and verbally harassed by many shareholders who are controlled by the Board President. An elderly rent-controlled tenant who is a friend of mine has been directly threatened by the Board President as well as many shareholders on a number of occasions. I know that as a tenant of the sponsor particularly in an environment like this [the Co-op Board is at war with the Sponsor], I have more rights as a resident in the Co-op than the shareholders [I don't answer to the Board, only the Sponsor (who is on my side)] and this is why they [shareholders] want me and all tenants of the sponsor to move out. But the harassment is always ongoing, and there is no end in sight. My question - is there any kind of a legal precedent as to what I've described? Can a Co-op legally take over the sponsor owned apartments and force all tenants of the sponsor to either rent from them [Co-op Board] or evict the tenants? At this time, the sponsor is current in all of its maintenance charges. But is there an expiration date on how long the sponsor can retain its unsold shares after the conversion [non-eviction Offering Plan back in the 80's] has taken place?
gefindgefind
 
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Joined: Fri May 20, 2011 2:31 pm
Location: Westchester County, N.Y.

Postby ronin » Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:37 am

Well, that's called harassment and worth a lot of money. Unlike distant LL's who don't live there, these guys would understand very quickly what harassment will cost them.

I believe you should contact the NYS Attorney General's office. They have a wonderful brochure about co-op conversion harassment. And they do seem to take these cases seriously once they receive a complaint. In your case you have a bevy of witnesses because the owners decided to harass all of the tenants at once to speed up the process.

In addition, you should look up some private attorneys and see if they will take your case. It might be worth a lot of money.
ronin
 
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