A New York City landlord will pay a historic $6.5 million in fines and restitution to its tenants for housing violations that left 130 young children with lead poisoning. In their agreement with the authorities, Lilmor Management and its owner, Morris Lieberman, admitted they violated the housing laws related to lead, mould and maintenance codes, The New York Post reported.
Further, the “worst landlord” admitted to openly deceiving tenants about the conditions of over 2,500 rent-stabilised apartments in the 49 buildings part of its portfolio.
In a statement, state Attorney General Letitia James said that Lilmor Management rented out apartments in “hazardous conditions to unsuspecting tenants, putting thousands of people in harm’s way”.
In Lilmor’s buildings, the tenants, including children, were “forced to live with leaks, mould, infestations, and elevated levels of lead,” read the statement.
“Morris Lieberman’s days of harming tenants and their families are over,” it added.
Damian Williams, who will soon depart from the post of US Attorney for the Southern District, lauded the settlement, saying it was the “most extensive relief ever achieved in a case of this kind.”
For years, Lilmor Management, its owner Liberman and one of their agents, Jason Korn, have been on top of the list for “Worst Landlord” by the city public advocate. During these times, they have faced more than 30,000 housing violations across their various properties.
Since 2012, one of their Brooklyn-based properties, a building on Ocean Avenue, has alone led to over 5,000 violations.
Among the various issues highlighted by the tenants at these properties were lead paint, heat and vermin infestations, chronic water leaks and mould, according to the state Attorney General’s office.
They started investigating Lilmor in 2021 after multiple complaints from residents and advocates in connection with the “extremely poor conditions” and the lead levels found in children of those residing there.
According to officials, over 130 children living in Lilmor-backed buildings have tested positive for elevated blood-lead levels since 2012, The New York Post reported.
Over the past few years, the Housing Department has issued roughly 1,000 violations for lead-based paint hazards, besides more than 1,450 violations for mold, a staggering 2,331 citations for rodent and roach infestations as well as nearly 1,500 violations for leaks.