The New York Times reported earlier this month that actress Faye Dunaway has joined the masses in housing court over a hot dispute with her landlord over whether she's vacated and the condition of her rented home.
Dunaway has a rent-controlled $1,000 per month apartment and the dispute seems to be over whether she actually lives there or in California. Under New York's rent control law, a tenant doesnt get the controlled rent if she doesn't live in the city.
The actress also claimed the apartment is unibhabitable - hard to believe the rich and famous put up with conditions like that, but that's NYC, I guess.
Ms. Dunaway said she had finally given up the apartment in May because it was in such bad condition. She said her landlord "refused to paint the house, and bugs were everywhere."
Habitability, by the way, is a concept pioneered in California by the state Supreme Court in Green v. Superior Court, 10 Cal.3d 616
We have concluded that a warranty of habitability is implied by law in residential leases in this state and that the breach of such a warranty may be raised as a defense in an unlawful detainer action. Under the implied warranty which we recognize, a residential landlord covenants that premises he leases for living quarters will be maintained in a habitable state for the duration of the lease. This implied warranty of habitability does not require that a landlord ensure that leased premises are in perfect, aesthetically pleasing condition, but it does mean that "bare living requirements" must be maintained.
Dunaway's also case shows the foolishness of leaving messages you don't want played in front of a judge or jury.
While Ms. Dunaway appears ready to hand back the keys, she took a final swipe at her landlord in one of her voice mail messages.
"He is a slum landlord," she said. "He has no class."
Mr. Moses responded by replaying the messages left by Ms. Dunaway.
"I hope you need that money like crazy and you'll give it to poor people," she said to Mr. Moses. "I hope you have a terrible life."
