NEW YORK CITY – Tenants from 41-25 Case Street in Elmhurst rallied outside Queens Housing Court June 1 ahead of a key court hearing in their lawsuit to end a lengthy pattern of neglect and tenant harassment in their building. The lawsuit demands that their landlord, one of the city’s most infamous property owners, resolve hundreds of critical building safety and maintenance issues.
Margaret Brunn and Brian Garland of 41-25 Case Street LLC have a well established record of neglect across their buildings, failing to protect tenant safety and adhere to New York City’s Housing Maintenance Code. Brunn is a principal of A&E Real Estate, which agreed to a settlement earlier this year with the Mamdani Administration in connection with tenant harassment and hazardous conditions in 14 buildings. The New York City Public Advocate has listed Brunn #1 on the 2025 list of “Worst Landlords in NYC.”
The 41-25 Case Street Tenant Union was created to protect the rights of building residents, most of whom live in rent stabilized apartments. As detailed in the lawsuit, they have endured repeated failures of essential services including elevator breakdowns, lapses in heat and hot water, broken security cameras, broken intercom systems, rat infestations and crumbling walls and ceilings. Requests for repairs are routinely ignored, and when repairs are made, they have typically been completed in a shoddy manner.
In July of last year, tenants provided the landlord with a letter detailing numerous common area and individual apartment repairs that required urgent attention. At the time the lawsuit was filed, there were 372 violations on record with the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).
Tenant leader Luis Acevedo said, Our quality of life has been severely impacted. Paint chips have fallen onto the floor because needed repairs were never made, creating a serious choking hazard for the 5-year-old child in our home. The kitchen cabinets have also rotted from leaks that were left unrepaired. Most devastating of all, we were without heat and hot water for two weeks in mid-Winter, which contributed to the child becoming very ill. No family should have to watch a child suffer because a landlord fails to provide safe and habitable living conditions. This is something that should never happen in New York!”
Tenant leader Amber Gill said, “The conditions in our apartment have affected far more than our comfort — they have affected our health, finance and daily lives. My son suffered repeated illnesses due to conditions in the unit and has missed over 50 days of school. I am immunocompromised with a central line and became critically ill, ending up septic in the ICU. I have had to pay for my own extermination services and repairs out of pocket, and my family went 32 days without cooking gas or a working stove, costing us over $3k in additional expenses. We are not asking for favors. We are demanding safe, habitable housing and accountability. No family should have to pay rent and then pay with their health, too.”
The tenants are receiving legal and organizational support from Legal Services NYC and Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE).
“We are sending a message that landlords should never expect to let violations pile up year after year with no consequences,” said Bianca Zarate-MacPherson, a Senior Staff Attorney with the Tenant Rights Coalition of Legal Services NYC’s Queens office. “Today we asked the judge in this case to order Brunn and Garland to immediately make all repairs to these tenants’ homes and common spaces, since they are unwilling to do the right thing on their own. We are calling on the city to continue inspecting 41-25 Case Street and responding to tenant complaints.”
AAFE works throughout New York City to help rent-stabilized tenants protect their housing rights, hosting educational workshops, connecting residents with resources and assisting in the formation of tenant associations. In Queens, AAFE partners with many organizations, including Queens Legal Services and the Stabilizing NYC Coalition. At 41-25 Case Street, AAFE worked with residents to launch a “3-1-1 Campaign,” encouraging tenants to report maintenance issues in their building. Housing counselors also helped dozens of residents file rent reduction applications with the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR).
“In the midst of an unprecedented housing crisis, we must do everything in our power to protect New York City’s dwindling stock of rent stabilized housing,” said AAFE Executive Director Thomas Yu. “When landlords fail to maintain buildings and engage in tenant harassment, properties are destabilized, affordable housing is diminished and tenants are at risk of displacement. AAFE is proud to stand with the tenants at 41-25 Case Street and Legal Services NYC to ensure that this building is stabilized and protected as affordable housing for many years to come.”
“For far too long, the tenants of 41-25 Case Street in Elmhurst have been forced to live in unacceptable and unsafe conditions,” said State Assembly member Catalina Cruz. “Residents have repeatedly reported broken security cameras, unlocked entrance doors, and serious maintenance issues, only to be met with unkept promises that repairs would be made. One tenant was without a working stove for three months until our office intervened, and the issue was resolved within two weeks. No family should be exposed to hazardous or substandard conditions in their own homes. Landlords have a responsibility to provide safe, habitable housing, and we stand with tenants demanding the dignity, security, and repairs they deserve. I also want to thank Asian Americans for Equality and Legal Services NYC for their partnership and ongoing support for these tenants as they continue advocating for safe and adequate housing conditions.”
“Every tenant deserves a safe, well-maintained home and the quality of life they are paying for. I am hopeful that this process leads to the repairs and improvements residents have been asking for, and I encourage all parties to work together to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. Housing works best when tenants are heard, property owners are responsive, and problems are addressed before they become crises. My office will continue working with residents and management to ensure these concerns are resolved and that families can live with the dignity and stability they deserve,” said State Senator Jessica Ramos.
“Every tenant deserves to live in a safe, dignified home. The residents of 41-25 Case Street have spent months—and in some cases years—documenting conditions, requesting repairs, organizing with their neighbors, and pursuing every available avenue for help, yet serious concerns affecting their health, safety, and quality of life remain unresolved. Housing is a human right, and with ownership comes responsibility. Landlords have a legal and moral obligation to maintain safe homes and provide essential services. I stand in solidarity with these tenants as they demand accountability, immediate repairs, and the respect they deserve. We cannot accept a housing system where working-class families, immigrants, seniors, and long-time residents must fight this hard simply to live safely in the communities they call home,” said Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas.
Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) is a 52-year-old community development organization dedicated to racial, social and economic justice for all, regardless of background. AAFE provides multilingual services throughout New York City, including tenant counseling and advocacy, government benefits assistance, immigration assistance and college access programs. AAFE builds and manages more than 1,400 affordable housing units across NYC and offers small business training and low-interest loans in Metro New York.
Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. We help New Yorkers obtain the basic necessities of life, including housing, economic security, family and immigration stability, education, health care. We challenge systemic injustices that trap people in poverty.