Dozens of tenants sue landlord of Flatbush, Brooklyn building

FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (PIX11) -- Flatbush resident Natalia Marquez woke up to cockroaches crawling into her bed for months.

She said a leak from an open pipe in her bedroom rotted a hole in the floor, allowing the bugs to infest her room.

“I would wake up and feel the sensation of a roach ... sometimes more than one a night," she said.

Though Marquez said management has fixed the problem, she’s not alone. The Caton Avenue building has 284 open violations, according to the NYC Housing Preservation and Development Department website. Now, Marquez is among 26 tenants who are suing their landlord to make the repairs. 

Michael Leonard is their lawyer from a non-profit legal organization called Take Root Justice. He said the tenants filed a housing part action on July 11. Leonard said the HP action is suing the landlord for a court order to make the repairs. Monday afternoon was their first hearing in court. 

“If you have a lease, you should get repairs,” Leonard said. “The tenants are fighting for things that are very basic in their apartments, including leaks, mold, falling plaster, lead paint.” 

Veronica Campbell also lives in the building. She said the ceiling above her bathtub collapsed in September, and no one came to fix it. Three weeks ago, the ceiling above the sink in the same bathroom also collapsed. Campbell showed PIX11 mold on her ceiling where it’s been leaking from the holes. 

Campbell is not yet on the lawsuit but said she plans to join the other tenants in their legal action.

The super of the building told PIX11 News all repairs had been made. The lawyer for the landlord said he has no comment on cases pending litigation.