Brodsky sues alleged ninja sword-wielding, dog-abusing tenant

Developer of new Morningside Heights rental complex is seeking $500K in damages

Enclave at the Cathedral at 400 West 113th Street
Enclave at the Cathedral at 400 West 113th Street

The Brodsky Organization is suing a tenant at its new Morningside Heights rental complex for allegedly threatening the safety of his neighbors and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

An LLC affiliated with the developer filed a complaint in Manhattan Supreme Court, accusing tenant Linhao Zhang of abusing his dog, his roommate and terrorizing the neighbors by roaming the hallways with a ninja sword. The Enclave at the Cathedral, a 15-story, 430-unit rental complex at 400 West 113th Street, opened last year.

Brodsky is asking the judge to order Zhang to behave and to pay $500,000 for damages caused to the building, the New York Daily News reported.

Lawyers for the developer said Zhang has “engaged in a course of conduct over the past month that threatens the health and safety of other building tenants.”

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Zhang is accused of going into the lobby “clad only in his underwear” on Sept. 22 and starting to “scream uncontrollably” at his roommate, who was later taken to hospital. Zhang was removed by police, according to the court papers. The following day, the lawyers claim, he was caught “roaming the public hallways … with a ninja sword” and was removed by police once again.

Other tenants have allegedly complained that Zhang acts in a “scary and malevolent” way to his dog, and has previously delivered a “sickening spectacle of animal abuse” in the common areas of the building.

The complex is located next door to the famed Cathedral of St. John the Divine. It has four active rental apartments for an average price of $3,595, according to StreetEasy. [NYDN]Miriam Hall