‘Not only immoral, but illegal’
City fi les suit against infamous Dean Street landlords
BY BEN VERDE
The city is suing a notorious
pair of Brooklyn slumlords
for an alleged attempt
to evict tenants from their
Crown Heights townhouse
amid the state’s eviction moratorium,
the Mayor’s Offi ce to
Protect Tenants announced
Tuesday.
The landlords, Gennaro
Brooks-Church and Loretta
Gendville, allegedly harassed
and locked tenants out of their
home at 1214 Dean St. in July,
prompting tenant activists to
occupy the stoop of the disputed
brownstone and halt the
eviction attempt in its tracks.
“This administration will
not tolerate landlords who illegally
evict and harass tenants
out of their homes, and we
will take forceful action like
today’s lawsuit to make that
very clear,” said Ricardo Martínez
Campo, deputy director
of the mayor’s newly formed
tenant protection bureau.
“For landlords who think they
can rely on these tactics and
make them part of their business
COURIER L 12 IFE, NOV. 20-26, 2020
model, know that you are
on notice, and we will not hesitate
to bring you to Court.”
Brooks-Church and Gendville,
two prominent business
owners who have profi ted off
the tastes of gentrifi ed Brooklyn
for the better part of two
decades, are accused of storming
into their Dean Street
property over the summer and
demanding back-rent from
tenants who could not afford
to pay during the pandemic.
The landlords then allegedly
told the occupants that
they would have to be out by
a certain date, before showing
up unannounced one day before
that date with a moving
truck full of their belongings.
The couple then allegedly proceeded
to move their tenant’s
belongings out onto the street
and move theirs in.
New York State’s pandemicrelated
eviction moratorium
remains in effect until Jan.
1, and even without a moratorium,
landlords must go to
court and get the permission
of a judge to evict a tenant.
The city’s Law Department
ordered a cease and desist
on the attempted eviction
days after it took place. The
lawsuit fi led on Nov. 17 seeks
civil penalties for violations
of the city’s Unlawful Eviction
Law, a fi nding of tenant harassment
against defendants,
and violation of construction
codes including unpermitted
construction.
The New York State Attorney
General has also
launched an investigation
into the landlords.
“Infl icting additional
trauma onto those struggling
to stay afl oat during
a pandemic by threatening
eviction without process is
not only immoral, but illegal,”
Attorney General Letitia
James said in a statement.
“No one should fear having
their home taken away at a
time when their very life depends
on social distancing
and staying home; and no one
should live in fear of reprisal
from their landlord for asserting
their lawful rights.”
Reached by phone, Brooks-
Church declined to comment
on the lawsuit. Gendville could
not be reached by deadline.
Tenants of 1214 Dean St., and landlord Gennaro Brooks-Church.
Photo by Ben Verde
BLACK FRIDAY
Deals Every Day!
LOOK FOR OUR CIRCULAR
IN TODAY’S PAPER!
VISIT PCRICHARD.COM FOR A STORE NEAREST YOU
/PCRICHARD.COM