Rather than take responsibility for its inaction and ghastly conditions, Mayfair attempts to be removed as a party altogether, in what can only be described as an insulting attempt to frustrate justice for the very people it was hired to serve. Some of the conditions noted are the worst this Court has seen. The complete disregard of tenants' living conditions would be deemed criminal if not for corporate protections.
Almost all tenants lived without heat and/or hot water for months, in a Syracuse winter with lower-than-average temperatures and higher than average snowfall. The tenants' demographics fill the spectrum in age, profession, gender, and abilities. Many had work and/or school, whereby they woke early while still dark, and were forced to get themselves ready for their day, without heat or hot water for months at a time, and without warning or explanation; all while continuing to pay premium rent. Tenants testified they found mice and roaches in their beds and on their appliances. Some were forced to shower at their gym or go to a loved one's house to use hot water. Tenants were forced to reckon with trash and waste, and unlawful entry into their buildings and units by strangers and staff alike. They suffered property loss from interior sewage leaks, pest and rodent infestation, and theft.