‘Sushi defense’ successful, as judge rules that East Village tenant can keep rent-stabilized unit

Eat your heart out, Twinkie defense. An East Village tenant has escaped eviction, explaining her rent-controlled apartment uses less electricity than average because she eats a lot of sushi, the New York Daily News reported. Her successful “sushi defense,” means she can keep her rent-stabilized $992-a-month studio at 409 East Sixth Street, a state appellate judge ruled yesterday.

Rent-stabilized tenants who are found to spend less than 50 percent of their time at other residences can be evicted, the News said. The landlord at tenant Masako Mogi’s building contended that she lives in a Westminster, Vt. home because of her decreased electricity use and the fact that the majority of her bank transactions were in Vermont.

Mogi’s lawyer explained that her partner, with whom she shares accounts, lives in Vermont full-time. [NYDN] — Guelda Voien