New York Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday filed lawsuits against two New York City landlords, alleging they violated state law after failing to register their Brooklyn apartments as rent-stabilized units.
The Office of the Attorney General is suing John Anderson and Claudette Henry for not registering units in Brooklyn buildings as rent-stabilized with New York State Homes and Community Renewal following prior court decisions that have found the buildings to be de facto rent stabilized. The lawsuits also allege that the landlords attempted to illegally evict tenants from their units and violated tenant harassment laws.
James is asking the court to order the buildings’ units returned to rent stabilization and refund all tenants who were overcharged with interest, and is seeking civil penalties.
“Rent stabilization and tenant protection laws help keep working New Yorkers throughout our city in homes they can afford,” James said in a statement. “My office will not shy away from taking immediate action against any landlord who fails to follow the law and attempts to overcharge or illegally evict tenants. Our housing laws are clear, and any landlord who violates them will be held accountable.”
Anderson is the owner of 1075 Dean St. in Crown Heights. Despite the building was found to be de facto rent stabilized in 2016, the OAG alleges that Anderson failed to provide rent stabilized leases to all of his tenants for 10 years.
The lawsuit also alleges that Anderson sent his friend to impersonate him in court and that he lied about the building's rent stabilized status on an application with the New York City Department of Buildings.
A tenant reported that Anderson harassed and retaliated against her after she asked for a rent stabilized lease by cutting off her utilities such as gas, water and electricity, according to James.
Meanwhile, Henry bought 134 Sackman St. in 2004. The OAG alleges that after the building was found to be covered by the rent stabilization laws, Henry failed to register the Brownsville building with HCR and has been attempting to illegally evict tenants.
Henry was ranked number eight in the Public Advocate’s Worst NYC Landlords list in 2025. When the OAG reached out to Henry in August 2025 to demand she
comply with rent stabilization laws and immediately register with HCR, Henry did not respond, James said.
Following the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 1974, de facto rent stabilization was created as a judicial doctrine to allow buildings with five or fewer units built before 1974 to become rent stabilized if the building was altered – legally or illegally – to have six or more units. Since its launch in May 2025, the OAG's de facto rent stabilization compliance program has successfully prevented 26 evictions and secured the return of 91 units to rent stabilization.
To date, OAG's compliance program has had 21 landlords provide a certification that they have complied with the program resulting in 91 units being returned to rent stabilization and has successfully prevented 26 evictions.
The lawsuits filed against Anderson and Henry are the first to be filed under OAG’s de facto rent stabilization compliance program. Prosecutors are asking the landlords to immediately register both buildings as rent stabilized with HCR and offer rent stabilized leases to tenants.
The lawsuits also seeks restitution for every current rent stabilized tenant equal to the amount of rent they were overcharged, with 9% interest. The OAG is demanding additional civil penalties from Anderson and Henry between $2,000 and $10,000 for each lawful occupant who faced harassment, among other penalties, including $500 per unit for each month it was not registered with HCR.
