A Housing Court judge has ordered the New York City Housing Authority to pay more than $19,000 in civil contempt penalties for failing to restore hot water to a tenant’s apartment for over two years.

Housing Court Judge Phyllis Saxe (See Profile) ruled on Oct. 17 in Brown v. NYCHA, 1885/10 and 116/12, that NYCHA acted “contumaciously” and without regard for the tenant’s health in failing to make the necessary repairs, which had been repeatedly ordered by the court.