Bronx residents file lawsuit over living conditions after building collapse

Dozens still displaced after Bronx building collapse

FOX 5 NY's Ashlie Rodriguez explains how their troubles started long before the collapse.

BRONX, N.Y. - Two months after a Bronx apartment building suddenly collapsed, tenants are filing a lawsuit against the landlords and the city.

They say residents are still living in shelters and those left behind are living in dangerous conditions.

The apartment building, located at 1915 Billingsley Terrace, has been patched up after an entire corner collapsed on Dec. 11.

Ivan Schoop remembers it well.

It was his exposed bed among the rubble that caught the eye of horrified onlookers.

Two months later, the nightmare has not ended.

Residents displaced by Bronx apartment collapse

Residents displaced by the collapse of an apartment building in the Bronx on Monday are staying at P.S. 390, as work to find them a place to stay continues.

Schoop remains homeless, and many of his neighbors have been surviving in shelters. It’s why they, emotional and weary, gathered Monday, announcing they are teaming up with the Legal Aid Society to sue the landlords and the city.

"I don’t understand this," one resident said.

Around 30 tenants are asking for the collapsed section of the building to be rebuilt and for immediate repairs. Inside the 100-year-old building, rooms are said to be infested with rats and roaches, no janitorial services, cooking gas, or hot water.

The Legal Aid Society says they found 133 violations, more than half of which are classified as immediately hazardous.

Collapsed Bronx apartment building had several violations

An apartment building in the Bronx that collapsed on Monday afternoon had numerous Department of Building violations in the past. FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt has the story.

"This is a seasoned managing agent," Zoe Kheyman, Legal Aid Society Attorney said. "These are seasoned landlords who understand that the living conditions in this building gone unabated could’ve resulted in this catastrophe."

Residents say the landlords are offering new apartments, but at market value, for thousands more than they were paying in December. Others say the landlords are harassing them, forcing them to sign agreements, saying their apartments were fully repaired.

FOX 5 reached out to the landlords, David Kleiner, Yonah Roth, Mo Doe and 1915 Realty LLC, who are reportedly the owners of 40 buildings across the city, but they could not be reached for comment and have not responded to the lawsuit.

"What does a notice of violation mean?," City Council member, Pierina Sanchez said. "What does it mean to have these laws on the books if a building is allowed to fall apart."

The lawsuit is also targeting the city, the Department of Buildings and the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development. City Council is now investigating the lack of inspection and accountability.

The City Council said:

"HPD has issued 30 housing maintenance code violations against the landlord in the days and weeks since the building collapse. Immediately hazardous violations issued since the collapse include issues related to an inadequate supply of cooking gas, water leaks, peeling lead-based paint, hot water issues, and a rat infestation."

The Legal Aid Society says their first court date is Feb. 20. The goal to get an order to correct the violations as soon as possible.

They say if the landlords don’t comply, they will be asking to use the power of the court to ratchet up the fines and put pressure on them to do the work and ensure the safety of this building.