A group of landlords filed a lawsuit Wednesday against New York City, seeking to overturn the new rent freeze on rent-stablized apartments, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

The lawsuit accused the New York City Rent Guidelines Board of going through a “sham process” before voting 7-1 in June for zero rent increases on one- and two-year leases. The board is independent, but the lawsuit alleges that Mayor Zohran Mamdani influenced the outcome of the vote, the Journal reported.

The plaintiffs say they are the first to challenge the legal basis for the freeze. The five landlords are represented by Randy Mastro, the former First Deputy Mayor of New York City under the Adams administration, the paper said.

The lawsuit cited the resignation of one board member, who represented landlords and said she was stepping down ahead of the June vote. She said she was resigning out of frustration that the board had ceased to be a fact-finding body and that her former colleagues intended to freeze rent no matter what the evidence showed, the Journal said.

The mayor last week also issued a 23-point plan to address a variety of other renter complaints, including strengthening the city’s ability to take legal action against negligent landlords with numerous safety violations. Real-estate groups said the plan unfairly demonizes their industry, the paper reported.