NYC Complains: This Week's Weirdest Lawsuits

NEW YORK CITY — Emotional support parrots, embezzlers on Staten Island and a calendar girl who can no longer tie her shoelaces. This week’s court filings in NYC include some bizarre complaints.

FDNY ‘Calendar Girl’ Says Shoelaces Vandalized By Vindictive Boss

A first responder has accused a boss of mocking her appearance in the FDNY Calendar of Heroes and vandalizing her gym shoes, Manhattan Supreme Court records show.

Margot Loth filed suit against the city Monday for treatment she said she received at the hands of a spiteful supervisor, according to legal documents.

The altercation began in March 2018 when the boss followed Loth out of her office while screaming that she was “disrespectful” and a “terrible person,” according to the complaint.

Loth experienced months of alleged abuse from the angry supervisor that culminated on Nov. 5, 2018, when Loth found in the women’s locker room that the shoelaces had been cut from her gym sneakers, the complaint contends.

The lawsuit says a fellow first responder later told Loth she suspected the supervisor of responding similarly to another at-work altercation, after which that EMT found her sandals cut into pieces.

“Upon information and belief, the suit states, “[the supervisor] vandalized Ms. Loth’s sneakers and previously exhibited a pattern of vandalizing colleagues’ shoes.”

The city's Law Department declined to comment.

Con Ed Demands Sheriff Oust Staten Island Embezzler From Prince Bay Manse

A convicted Staten Island embezzler who swindled $7 million from Con Ed has yet to pay up the money he owes, the power company contends.

Con Edison filed Tuesday a petition demanding the Staten Island sheriff order Sassine Razzouk to hand over his $1.1 million home at 10 Woodvale Loop in Prince’s Bay, supreme court records show.

Razzouk, a former Con Ed section manager, was convicted in 2011 writing himself $2.7 million in checks and accepting $4 million in kickbacks, according to court records.

The Prince Bay man was sentenced in 2018 to six years in prison for bribery and tax evasion but was released in 2020 because of COVID-19, the complaint contends.

Con Ed estimates his 2018 net worth was $13 million and he currently brings in about $14,000 a month.

“There is no reason that the Property should not be sold by the Sheriff,” the lawsuit states, “in order to partially satisfy Con Edison’s $7,864,765.49 judgment arising out of Razzouk’s crimes.”

Emotional Support Parrots’ Caws Cause Retaliation On LES: Suit

A Lower East Side resident says an angry co-op board retaliated against her because she bought a third emotional support parrot, federal court records show.

Merril Lesser accused The Rutherford Tenants Corp. at 230 East 15th St. of malicious persecution over Layla, a bare-eyed Cockatoo, Ginger, a white-fronted Amazon, and a 20-year-old Goffins Cockatoo named Curtis, court records show.

The management company allegedly filed an eviction order against Lesser, added a $60,000 surcharge to her fees, and refused to accept an applicant she found to buy her home, the lawsuit contends.

“Defendants have continued to prosecute the eviction against Complainant for keeping emotion support animals notwithstanding being on notice that Complainant requires emotional support animals,” the lawsuit states.

“Defendants actions have exacerbated Complainant's psychiatric conditions and caused emotional distress.”

The attorney representing the board did not respond immediately to Patch's request for comment.