Crown Heights Tenants Sue Notorious Slumlord For Harassment

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Crown Heights tenants say leaking ceilings, rodent infestations and faulty heating systems their landlord refuses to fix are tantamount to harassment and will file suit against him.

Rubin Dukler, a Brooklyn landlord dubbed the city's 17th worst by the Public Advocate, is being sued by a group of tenants from four Crown Heights buildings that have accrued more than 560 building and housing code violations, residents said.

"We're here to fight against our dirty landlord," resident Bleuberthol Scott said outside Brooklyn housing court Thursday morning. "We need the help of the court to make sure these landlords are held accountable."

Residents from 1018 Eastern Parkway, 1074 Eastern Parkway, 1460 Sterling Place and 1460 Sterling Place live with inadequate heat in the winter, mold and leaks, vermin infestations and lead paint on walls in homes where children live, said Brooklyn Legal Attorney Vivian Xie.

"These issues are part of a larger campaign to harass tenants and to force them out of their homes," said Xie, who will seek an order to correct open violations, penalties and a finding of harassment.

"These tenants and their families deserve better," she said.

Scott said he began organizing residents after he paid $1,100 out-of-pocket to fix the buckling floors and leaking ceiling in his apartment, then was told he could not deduct the money from his rent because he hadn't filed a complaint with the city first.

Viola Bibbins, 72, came to Kings County Court Thursday not just because she wants the problems in her home fixed, but because she wants landlords from across the state to be held accountable.

"They're getting away with this," said Bibbins. "It's been going on for years."

Bibbins hopes the group's advocacy will help pressure New York lawmakers to strengthen rent control laws in Albany, she said.

"We're fighting for universal rent control so we don't have to live in fear," she said. "We're not asking for luxury."

Patch was not able to reach Dukler for comment.