Ian Bruce Eichner is hoping he will again be able to sell timeshares at his Manhattan Club at 200 West 56th Street, even though the property is under investigation.
The developer is asking a judge to lift a ban on selling the units, according to court documents cited by the New York Observer.
“We’re…seeking to allow sales to be completed to 21 new owners who know about this investigation and still want their purchases at Manhattan Club to go through,” attorney Gerald Shargel, who represents Eichner, told the Observer.”We’re also asking for the judge to order an end date for discovery and depositions.”
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched an investigation into more than 20 potential buyers at Eichner’s club after he received complaints from 100 owners in the building who said they were unable to book stays there. The complaints alleged a “claimed lack of available rooms by the hotel’s operators,” the Observer reported.
The Manhattan Club has been around since 1996 and offers annual ownership interests. Members, after paying tens of thousands dollars per year, are allowed a fixed week-stay every year. The property includes 286 guest rooms and has roughly 14,000 members. In a press release last year, Schneiderman said that the owners were running a “bait-and-switch timeshare scheme.” [NYO] — Claire Moses