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NEW YORK - DOER AND SLUMLORD BOTH - NYTimes.com[/h]www.nytimes.com/.../new-york-doer-and-
slumlord-both.html
The New York Times
Mar 9, 1985 -
"Donald Trump, the developer, is in the newspapers almost every day for one thing or another. If he isn't building a skyscraper castle or a football team, he is trying to harass some tenants out of one of his properties.
It's strange for a young man who so craves achievement, recognition, respectability and acceptance to mix into his master-builder activities the petty act of abusing tenants. Yet, though hard to explain, there seems little doubt that it has happened. Both the city and the state, in detailed papers, have brought actions against him for mistreatment of tenants - the state in an administrative proceeding and the city in a lawsuit seeking heavy fines.
<snip> The curious thing about his plans is that he knew that the building was pretty much fully occupied and that the apartments were protected by either rent control or rent stabilization.
The city and state papers allege that Mr. Trump and his agents proceeded to try to force out the 60 or more tenants by the following tactics: ''threats of imminent demolition,'' ''spurious litigation,'' ''drastic decreases in essential services,'' ''persistent delay in repairing defective conditions with life-threatening potential,'' ''instructing employees to obtain information about the private lives (and) sex habits of the tenants,'' and ''engaging in a psychological tug- of-war to wear the tenants down which has had a deleterious effect upon the health and well-being of said tenants, many of whom are elderly and are particularly vulnerable to defendants' persistent course of conduct.''
In sum, the city's lawsuit, which was filed last week, says that ''defendants have harassed daily the occupants of said units'' and that ''defendants' wrongful acts and omissions continue to date.''
NEW YORK - DOER AND SLUMLORD BOTH - NYTimes.com