Landlord is seeking legal fees from tenant in Queens Housing Court

I have a hearing in Queens Housing Court on July 20th. I have previously written about my Housing Court case on Before It's Gone.

At the upcoming hearing, the Hon. Judge John Lansden will decide whether and how much legal fees to award the law firm representing the property manager of my apartment, ADI Management. ADI Management is headed by Herbert Donner, about whom I've also previously written on Before It's Gone.

The legal fees that the Landlord is seeking have been inflated due to the Landlord dragging out the process. Right now, the legal fees total over $5,000. One example is the Landlord's misconduct is that, for months, the Landlord denied me a copy of my renewal lease, which I needed to apply for the One Shot Deal. When the Landlord finally gave me a copy of my renewal lease, the Court did not sanction or hold the Landlord accountable for this misconduct, or other misconduct, which has been alleged in my Housing Court case. Because I did not have some documents to submit to HRA, including my renewal lease, I could not get approved for the One Shot Deal. I have been told that, in most cases, judges do not award legal fees in Housing Court cases, so we will see if the Judge in my Housing Court case will rule for fairness.

Some activists have set up a Facebook event  to "pack the court" for my hearing. Please join us on July 20th at Queens Housing Court to stand in solidarity with tenants, who are taken to Housing Court.