Community Corner
Woman Trapped In UES Elevator Won't Sue Billionaire Boss: Report
A 53-year-old housekeeper got stuck in a townhouse elevator on Friday and wasn't rescued until the following Monday morning.
UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The 53-year-old housekeeper who was trapped her billionaire boss' townhouse elevator for three days does not plan to sue, according to reports.
A neighbor of Queens resident Marites Fortaliza told reporters Tuesday that the housekeeper is recovering from her harrowing weekend at her sister's house in New Jersey but plans to return to the city in about a week, the Daily News reported.
"She says she has no intention to sue her boss," the neighbor told reporters after speaking with Fortaliza. "She says they treat her very good. She says she’s still with her sister and will be back in a week."
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Fortaliza was rescued Monday morning from a stalled elevator inside the single-family townhouse at 48 E. 65th St., between Park and Madison avenues, an FDNY spokesman told Patch. The elevator got stuck between the second and third floor buildings of the home, which is owned by Arkansas billionaire Warren Stephens. Stephens' daughter called 911 after returning home after the weekend and realizing Fortaliza was stuck in the elevator, the Daily News reported.
The Stephens family released a statement Monday that described Fortaliza as a "valued member of the Stephens extended family for 18 years" and added that "appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that something like this never happens again."
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The city is not being as forgiving as Fortaliza. The Department of Buildings issued a violation to the building Monday for a failure to maintain the elevator, according to public records. This marks the third elevator violation at the townhouse. The elevator received violations during 2008 and 1996 inspections but not when it was last inspected in July, Department of Buildings records show.
Forbes estimates Stephens' net worth at $2.6 billion. His uncle started the finance company Stephens Inc. in the 30s. Stephens became CEO of the firm in the 80s and bought his cousins out of the business in 2006, according to Forbes.
Photo by Brendan Krisel/Patch
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