Family Without Toilets Because City Won't Chop Down Tree: Suit

WHITESTONE, QUEENS — For nearly the past year, a family in northeast Queens has been forced to use their neighbors' and relatives' bathrooms because the city won't let them cut down a tree, according to a new lawsuit.

Part of the sewer line that runs through the family's house is clogged by tree roots, the suit contends.

As a result, the family hasn't had any operable plumbing — including toilets, showers, and laundry machines — in their Whitestone home since May of last year, the complaint states.

One of the family members who is living in the house, and has had to rely on the goodwill of others in order to bathe and use the bathroom, is "severely disabled," according to the suit.

A contractor, who explored the pipe and the surrounding area, told the family that there's no way to repair the sewage issue without removing the tree, but the Parks Department is refusing to let the family cut down the plant, the suit alleges.

Last week, after ten months without indoor plumbing, the family sued the Parks Department, demanding that the agency let them remove the tree so that they can fix the sewer line, the complaint states.

The family is also demanding $12,500 from the city, which is the total amount that they've spent on trying to fix this issue, according to the lawsuit.

The Parks Department did not respond to Patch's request for comment by the time of this article's publication.