Hudson Yards 'Poor Door' Lawsuit Dismissed By Judge

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A lawsuit claiming that Hudson Yards segregated low-income tenants by giving them their own entrance, floor and address was tossed by a federal judge on Wednesday, who said the tenants had failed to prove they had been discriminated against.

The lawsuit had been filed more than a year ago by three prospective low-income tenants at 15 Hudson Yards, an 88-story tower that is part of the West Side megadevelopment and includes about 100 affordable apartments.

Tenants Chanel Moody, Ayanda Carmichael and Ronnie Clark won spots in the building through the city's housing lottery — only to learn that their new address would be 553 W. 30th St., their suit claimed.

As a West 30th Street resident, Moody was told she did not have access to the building's swimming pool, fitness center, screening room or roof deck, according to the suit. The affordable apartments are also on lower floors than the building's market-rate apartments, and have a different lobby and elevators, the suit said.

The three tenants added that they had been assigned to separate laundry and playrooms, in violation of the Fair Housing Act and city human rights laws, they alleged. (All three tenants later decided not to rent apartments in the building.)

But U.S. District Court Judge Valerie Caproni ruled Wednesday that the tenants had not proven that they were treated differently than a "similarly-situated" group — only that they had different amenities than the building's luxury condominium owners, who were a different group to begin with, Caproni ruled.

The tenants also failed to prove that Related Companies — the developer that built Hudson Yards — intentionally discriminated against them based on their race, according to the ruling.

Despite making claims of racial segregation, the plaintiffs never showed that the racial mix of the affordable units is different from the market-rate apartments, Caproni added.

A spokesperson for Related Companies said in a statement Wednesday that "We appreciate the court dismissing these completely baseless claims."

"As we said from the very beginning, this lawsuit was a frivolous, headline-chasing endeavor by a plaintiff’s lawyer and had no basis in fact," the spokesperson said.

New York City buildings that received 421a tax breaks, granted to developments that provide 20 percent of new units at affordable rates, are not allowed to segregate low-income and market-rate tenants, according to a policy instated in 2015.

The city approved Related Companies' 421a status before the law was changed.

Related coverage: Hudson Yards Quietly Instituted Banned 'Poor Door' Policy: Suit