James successfully defends NY’s Rent Stabilization Laws

New York Attorney General Letitia James has successfully defended New York’s Rent Stabilization Laws after the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected constitutional challenges to the law, as as amended by the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019.

“Today’s decision is a victory for families that work day and night to keep a roof over their head,” said James on Monday. “As we continue to address the nationwide housing crisis, we must spare no effort in protecting tenants and defending affordable housing options for New Yorkers.

“We will continue to defend the constitutionality of our laws and fight to ensure New Yorkers can afford to live in their homes and communities,” she added.

In September 2020, a district court judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York dismissed two challenges to the Rent Stabilization Laws in their entirety.

The decision was appealed, and the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court’s decision dismissing the challenges.

James said this action builds on her long record of protecting tenants. Most recently, in December 2022, Attorney General James barred a Queens property manager from locking tenants out of their homes.

In November 2022, she stopped real estate company Compass from denying housing to low-income New Yorkers.

In October 2022, Attorney General James and the Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force announced a settlement with Greg Fournier and his real estate company, Greenbrook Holdings, for harassing tenants and engaging in unlawful practices in managing its buildings in Brooklyn.

And, in September 2022, James secured $4 million from landlords after uncovering an illegal kickback scheme to deregulate apartments.