Pro Bono Client Obtains Favorable Settlement With NYCHA in Housing Action

As part of an ongoing initiative with JustFix to bring targeted affirmative housing actions on behalf of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) tenants, Paul, Weiss secured guarantees for the housing authority to repair several unsafe and unlawful conditions in our pro bono client’s apartment. For years, despite making multiple unanswered complaints, our client, an elderly woman with severe health issues, lived in an apartment infested by roaches and rats, with numerous leaks, cracking walls, broken floor tiles and other structural deficiencies, and without basic accommodations required by her medical conditions. In late June, we filed an HP action—a proceeding in housing court against a landlord to force the landlord to make repairs and correct building violations—against NYCHA demanding that these conditions be rectified. Within a month of our filing, NYCHA entered into a settlement pursuant to which it agreed to make almost all of the requested repairs within a short period.

The Paul, Weiss team was supervised by litigation partner Daniel Toal and pro bono special counsel Steven Banks, and led by senior ESG practice attorney Destiny Harmon.