Manhattan Kushner Tenants Sue Over Fire Sprinklers

CNN reports:

A group of tenants filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Kushner Companies of illegally collecting rent and creating dangerous living conditions by failing to maintain working fire sprinkler systems in four New York City apartment buildings.

The tenants in “Kushner Village” in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan want a state judge to block Kushner Companies from collecting rent and force it to complete work on the sprinklers and other fire safety measures.

The tenants are asking the judge to block Kushner Companies from collecting rent until the city’s Department of Buildings has approved a certificate of occupancy — a document from the city indicating the buildings meet certain building codes and are in compliance with the law.

A spokesman for the company claims the lawsuit is “politically motivated harassment.”