Allan Goldman once helped his sister, Jane Goldman, run Solil Management Corp., the privately held firm that controls the more than $6 billion New York City real estate empire amassed by their father Sol Goldman, who died in 1987. Allan, however, developed Parkinson's disease several years ago, and Jane eventually took over running the company solo.

The Goldman empire includes more than 345 buildings in New York City, most of them in Manhattan and almost all acquired by Goldman. Many of the properties are leaseholds (also called ground leases), wherein the tenant has a very long-term lease for the property, while others are owned outright. The properties include every conceivable type of New York property, from mixed-use to multifamily to gas stations.

The empire had been embroiled in a nasty legal dispute, before and after Sol Goldman's death, between Allan and his sisters and their mother, Lillian. It was resolved in the early 1990s, with Lillian, who died in 2002, getting one-third of Sols estate. Allan and Jane by this time were running Solil Management.

The firm has in recent years become more aggressive about its leasehold terms, sometimes pressing long-term tenants to pay off violations or for upkeep before a lease will be recertified. This has led to legal disputes with some tenants, including leaseholders who signed originally with Allan's father.