Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich (See Profile) Monday approved a $300,000 settlement in a class action brought on behalf of about 1,400 tenants who lost power during Superstorm Sandy last year. The case, Menkin v. 120 East 34th Street Co. LLC, 650390/13, is the first tenant class action brought over Sandy to settle. Numerous such lawsuits have been filed since the storm seeking rent abatements (NYLJ, Feb. 25).
The class covers tenants in seven buildings managed by Algin Management Co. who alleged that they were charged rent for about a week after the storm when their apartments were uninhabitable due to a loss of power. The settlement will be distributed to tenants pro rata according to their rent.
