Judge ends Trump One’s bid to nix Coney Island rent reduction

Owner sought to limit court order to just one resident at Trump Village Apartments

From left: Trump Village Apartments and Arthur Schack
From left: Trump Village Apartments and Arthur Schack

Updated, 3:21 p.m., Aug. 6: The owner of Trump Village Apartments cannot challenge a rent reduction for residents at the Coney Island and Brighton Beach housing complex, a Brooklyn judge determined last month.

In handing down the ruling, Judge Arthur Schack reaffirmed his 2008 decision that the owner, Trump One, owed tenants of the apartments a greater rent reduction, the Brooklyn Eagle reported.

In 2006, Trump Village residents alleged that the owner used an outdated formula to determine rent reductions. Trump One was required to offer reductions after switching the building to an electricity system that charged tenants for their power usage, according to the newspaper.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Trump One’s attorneys sought to exploit what they saw as a loophole in the 2008 decision, saying the developer only owed the larger rent reduction to the single tenant named in the court order, rather than to each and every resident. Schack balked, saying it was clear that his decision applied to all Trump Village dwellers, the newspaper reported. [Brooklyn Eagle] — Tom DiChristopher

Corrected: An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified Donald Trump as having an ownership stake in the Trump Village Apartments.