Ex-New York Knick Samuel Dalembert Ices Out Hoboken Tenants, City Says

HOBOKEN, NJ — A former NBA star who's been fined for violations for his New York City building must now pay a $10,000 fine for leaving a tenant in his Hoboken apartment building without heat and hot water — at one point causing the indoor temperature to drop to 30 degrees, a public safety spokesperson said Friday.

Samuel Dalembert, who played for the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, was issued approximately 56 tickets from Hoboken's Health Division between an initial complaint on Jan. 9, 2024 and when a settlement was reached in Hoboken Municipal Court on Feb. 29, the city said.

"The case was settled in Hoboken Municipal Court when Dalembert entered a guilty plea and agreed to pay a $10,000 fine to the city and give the impacted tenant four months' free rent," said the spokesperson on Friday. "A second affected renter had already moved out."

A Hoboken health inspector, Kristine Budney, went to the address almost every day in January to take the air and water temperatures, the city said, adding, "She reports the average temperature in January was 30 degrees. At one point Dalembert was being mailed four summonses a day. "

Dalembert recently sold a New York City building for $3.3M less than what he paid, and still owes $100,000 to that city's Department of Buildings for various violations, reported Upper East Side Patch on Feb. 27. READ MORE: Former Knick Bricks $3M Loss On Upper East Side Building Sale

In Hoboken, "All of the summonses were for violating municipal codes 95.4 (Basic equipment and facilities) and 95.5 (Light, ventilation, and heating)," said a spokesperson.

While a tenant who is without heat or hot water in New Jersey often believes they must go to court to fight the matter, they can simply lodge a complaint with the local health department.

When a tenant of 710 Adams St. in Hoboken notified the city, an investigation by the city's Health Division, the city said.

Online records say the Hoboken building in question, 710 Adams St., is owned by Altitude Enterprises, based in Boca Raton, Fla. The address given is a UPS store.

However, a different address for the corporation is the home address of Samuel Dalambert in that city.

Must Provide Heat Until May 1

The city's Division of Health wanted to remind landlords that they must provide adequate heat and hot water, by law.

Back in November, the city had issued a release about winter weather heating requirements for landlords, noting that they must provide heat to tenants through May 1. Find out more about that here.

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