(5) 17 Seaman Avenue: Lisavetta Reyes (1J); (5) 19 Seaman Avenue: Andom Ghebreghiogis
(1N); and (6) 500 West 235th Street: Doug and Sara Bender
(2G); Charles Goldman (3B); Christopher Ford (3D); Steven Katchen (4F); Ron Yosipovich (4J);
R.S. Salamon (6H); and S.E. Falk (6L).
Defendant Parkoff is the indirect owner, operator, and managing entity of the Parkoff [*3]Buildings. Defendants Gramercy Park, Seadyck Realty, 19 Seaman,
and Elbridge Realty are the registered owners of 144 East 22nd Street, 1-9 Seaman Avenue LLC,
11-19 Seaman Avenue, and 500 West 235th Street, respectively (id., ¶¶
166-170).
Allegedly, the Parkoff Buildings are subject to the RSL because: (1) they are multiple
dwelling residential buildings, containing six or more units, which were built prior to 1974, and
not operated as a cooperative or condominium; or (2) they receive benefits under the J-51 tax
benefit program. The apartments of plaintiffs and the class were all subject to rent control or rent
stabilization and previously were registered as such with DHCR (id., ¶¶
207-208).
Allegedly, defendants failed to comply with the requirements of the RSL by failing to
provide their tenants with rent-stabilized leases, failing to properly register the apartments with
DHCR, increasing rents beyond the limits set forth by the Rent Guidelines Board, and improperly
declaring the apartments deregulated due to high rent vacancy. Defendants did so by: (1) altering
the records provided to tenants to justify charging higher initial rents; (2) inflating or
misrepresenting the amount of IAIs that were completed; and (3) using such false information to
increase rents or deregulate apartments that should remain rent stabilized (id.,
¶¶ 209-210).
The complaint describes the proposed class (Class) as consisting of: