St. Lucia ambassador forced to leave infested apartment: lawsuit

When they say “politics is a dirty business,” they didn’t mean this.

An ambassador from St. Lucia was forced to leave his Murray Hill apartment because the landlord wouldn’t clear out the roaches and vermin living there, the New York Post reported.

Cosmos Richardson’s $6,500-a-month apartment at 126 East 36th Street was infested and in need of repairs, but the landlord never responded, according to a lawsuit the government of St. Lucia filed.

“This is where he would entertain other ambassadors and dignitaries from other sovereign territories, as part of his duties. So this was an extension of his office, so to speak,” said attorney Roger Archibald.

Richardson was forced to move into a new apartment costing $7,500 per month. The St. Lucia government is suing for $45,000.

The landlord told the Post that an exterminator regularly treats the building, and there haven’t been any other complaints. [NYP] — Rich Bockmann