A New York City landlord will pay a historic $6.5 million fine and restitution to his tenants for housing violations that left 130 young children exposed to lead poisoning. In its settlement with authorities, Lilmore Management and its owner Morris Lieberman admitted they violated housing laws related to lead, mold and maintenance codes, The New York Post reports.
Additionally, the “worst landlord” admitted to openly deceiving tenants about the terms of more than 2,500 rent-stabilized apartments in part of 49 buildings in his portfolio.
In a statement, state Attorney General Letitia James said that Lilmore management “rented apartments to unsuspecting tenants in dangerous conditions, causing harm to thousands”.
The statement said that in Lilmore’s buildings, tenants, including children, were forced to live with “leaks, mold, infestations and elevated levels of lead.”
“Morris Lieberman’s days of harming tenants and their families are over,” it said.
Damien Williams, who will soon step down as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, praised the settlement, saying it was “the most comprehensive relief ever obtained in a case of this type.”
For years, Lilmore Management, its owner Lieberman and one of his agents, Jason Korn, have topped the list of “worst landlords” by the city public advocate. During this time, he has faced more than 30,000 housing violations across his various properties.
Since 2012, one of his Brooklyn-based properties, a building on Ocean Avenue, has caused more than 5,000 violations alone.
According to the state Attorney General’s Office, various issues highlighted by tenants at these properties included lead paint, heat and insect infestations, persistent water leaks and mold.
They launched an investigation into Lilmore in 2021 after numerous complaints from residents and advocates regarding “extremely poor conditions” and lead levels found in the children of people living there.
According to officials, more than 130 children living in Lilmore-supported buildings have tested positive for elevated levels of lead in their blood since 2012, The New York Post reports.
Over the past few years, the Housing Department has issued nearly 1,000 violations for lead-based paint hazards, plus more than 1,450 violations for mold, 2,331 citations for rodent and cockroach infestations as well as nearly 1,500 violations for leaks. Have been issued.
