Upper East Side co-op sues octogenarian resident who allegedly pooped in pool

She was also said to do the same in the showers

The Rio (StreetEasy, iStock)
The Rio (StreetEasy, iStock)

An Upper East Side co-op board sued an 83-year-old resident who allegedly pooped in the building’s pool.

Attorneys for Rio The Condominium and Spa on East 65th Street said Helen Hirsch defecated in the Fitness Center pool and then again the shower, according to The Daily Beast. The suit seeks damages for having to close and sanitize the pool after permanently barring Hirsch from entering.

“The Condominium was forced to shut down the Fitness Center’s pool so that it could be properly sanitized according to the applicable State health code, and to the applicable State health code, and to take the Fitness Center’s shower out of use so that it could be cleaned and disinfected,” the complaint said. “Other unit owners and residents were unable to use the pool or the shower during those times.”

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The suit also claimed that Hirsch swims in the wrong communal lanes and screams and makes loud noises while using the gym and pool. After her access to the facilities was suspended, the complaint said Hirsch “deceitfully” obtained an access code from a broker who had been showing it to buyers and at other times slipped through the door as another resident was leaving. She has also allegedly called the police when staff tried to keep her out of the pool area.

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Hirsch said the allegations were mostly false and that she plans to file a countersuit. She said she’s scared of losing access to the pool because her doctor told her to work out daily after breaking her leg, which she says left her disabled.

“No, this is really ridiculous; I was a doctor before,” Hirsh told The Daily Beast. “I don’t know how to swim; I always swim near the wall, you know, near the wall.”

Hirsh initially denied the pooping allegations before saying, “Well, maybe I am getting old.”

The octogenarian said management wants to remove her from her one-bedroom apartment because she isn’t a generous tipper. The asking price for a unit that size in the building is well above $1 million, the Beast reported.

[The Daily Beast] – Harrison Connery