Harlem Developer Is Holding Parking Garage For Ransom, Lawsuit Claims

EAST HARLEM, NY — The developer of a new East Harlem condominium tower is refusing to turn over the building's parking garage to a company that recently bought it, going as far as demanding $80,000 in an attempt to "extort" the company, according to a new lawsuit.

The suit centers on the parking garage inside 1399 Park Ave., a 23-story building completed in 2019 on the corner of East 104th Street. Developer Heritage Real Estate Partners first sold the 41-car garage in 2018 to a different company, which in turn sold it to the current owner in April of this year, according to sale documents included in the suit.

But since that sale, Heritage "has taken numerous bad faith and malicious steps" to block access to the new garage, according to the owners, who filed suit against the developer in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday.

That included a conversation just two days after the sale, when representatives for Heritage vowed to block access to the garage and refused to acknowledge the new owner, the lawsuit alleges.

The new garage owner is identified only as "Rebel 1399 Park L.P," led by Amir Yacobi and based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Motivating the obstruction is the fact that any income from the garage will go to the garage owner rather than the condominium's board or its unit owners, the lawsuit claims.

Since the sale closed, Heritage has used the garage to store trash, according to Rebel, whose attorneys shared photos of garbage bags piled inside.

When Rebel demanded that Heritage take off locks that currently block the garage doors, Heritage refused and demanded that the new owner pay $80,000 to resolve "disputes or issues" that stemmed from the previous garage owner, according to the suit, which alleges a "scheme to extort and economically blackmail" Rebel.

A real estate listing describes the garage as "never occupied," spanning 5,590 square feet below ground plus 1,615 square feet at street level.

Rebel is asking a judge to award a combined $3 million in damages for lost income and other costs. Heritage Real Estate Partners did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.