Photo: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images News / Getty Images
New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against the owners of the Kenney Apartments in Newburgh, alleging they forced more than 100 low-income residents to live in dangerous and inhumane conditions.
The legal action, announced Monday (February 2), targets Bourne & Kenney Redevelopment Company, LLC and All County Property Management, Inc. for what James described as "demolition by neglect" - a tactic where landlords force residents out by allowing buildings to deteriorate.
"It is outrageous that the Kenney residents have suffered in dangerous and inhumane conditions while their landlords ignored their calls for help," James said in a statement. "No one should be forced to endure a New York winter without heat or hot water."
According to the lawsuit, residents have faced persistent problems with heat and hot water since 2023, including a complete shutoff from October 2025 to January 2026. During these cold periods, tenants resorted to dangerous alternatives like leaving ovens on and using space heaters to stay warm, causing electricity bills to skyrocket.
The complex has accumulated more than 160 code violations, including:
- Raw sewage overflowing from toilets and bathtubs, flooding apartments
- Mold and rodent infestations causing health issues, including worsening a 2-year-old resident's asthma
- Water leaking through ceilings
- Broken appliances left unrepaired for years
- Unstable stairs and large holes in floors
- Doors that don't properly close, creating safety hazards
Photos provided by the attorney general's office show dried sewage on bathroom floors and refrigerators where it had leaked from ceilings. One unit was reportedly condemned due to an "indescribably putrid odor."
Despite hundreds of calls to management, the dangerous conditions remained unfixed, with allegedly only a single maintenance worker responsible for repairs throughout the entire 120-unit complex.
"These are working parents, older residents and neighbors who did everything right and still found themselves ignored by their landlord," Newburgh Mayor Harvey Torrance said in a statement.
The lawsuit seeks court orders requiring the owners to repair all violations within 30 days, provide consistent heat and hot water, and pay restitution to affected tenants. James is also requesting that owners be barred from retaliating against residents who complained and from seeking judgment against tenants who withheld rent due to unsafe conditions.
Congressman Pat Ryan, who visited the complex, described seeing "raw sewage seeping from toilets, chronic roof leakage, no heat, and mouse infestations," calling the conditions "completely outrageous."
The property owners have not yet responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit.