Attorney General James Takes Action to Stop Horrific Conditions in Newburgh Apartment Complex

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today sued the owners and managers of the Kenney apartment complex in Newburgh, Orange County, for leaving residents to endure dangerous and decrepit conditions, including a persistent lack of consistent heat and hot water. The Kenney apartments are an affordable housing development in Newburgh, home to over 100 low-income families and seniors. For years, these residents have paid excessive electric bills on top of rent for homes that are frigid in the winter, mold-ridden, and rodent-infested, with unsafe stairways, holes in the floors, and water and sewage leaking through the ceilings. Despite residents making hundreds of calls to management, these dangerous conditions have not been fixed. Attorney General James is seeking court orders requiring the buildings’ owners to repair and resolve all violations, as well as pay restitution for tenants and other financial penalties.

“It is outrageous that the Kenney residents have suffered in dangerous and inhumane conditions while their landlords ignored their calls for help,” said Attorney General James. “No one should be forced to endure a New York winter without heat or hot water. I am taking the owners of these apartments to court to get justice for the New Yorkers who have been cruelly neglected, and make sure they have a safe, clean, and warm place to live.”

Building owners in New York are required to provide their tenants with heat and hot water from October to May. Since 2023, residents of the Kenney apartments have lacked consistent heat and hot water, including a complete shutoff that lasted from October 2025 to January 2026. As a result, residents have been forced to heat their homes by boiling water, leaving their ovens on, or installing space heaters, which have caused their electricity bills to skyrocket and put their safety at risk.

In addition to enduring winter storms and record-setting cold without heat, Kenney residents have suffered for years in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Residents of the Kenney apartments have reported mold and mildew that have caused illnesses and worsened a two-year-old resident’s asthma. Doors to several units do not properly close, causing a safety hazard and making the apartments even harder to keep warm in winter. Residents have also reported severely damaged floors with large holes in them, unstable stairs, sewage flowing out of toilets and into apartments, water leaks, peeling and moldy paint, exposed wiring, and broken appliances that have not been fixed in years. One resident, who suffers from diabetes and needs a working refrigerator for her insulin, has had her calls to replace her broken refrigerator ignored. The apartment complex has been cited for over 160 different building code violations for these conditions.

Residents of the apartment complex have made hundreds of calls to the owners and managers of the buildings to no avail. With this lawsuit, Attorney General James is seeking a court order requiring the owners of the apartment buildings to take all the necessary steps to fix the code violations within 30 days, ensure consistent heat and hot water access, and provide residents with safe and livable apartments.

This order would require the Kenney’s owners to:

• Repair all outstanding code violations and rehabilitate all previously condemned apartments within 30 days.
• Hire a heating systems and maintenance expert to assess the Kenney Apartments’ boilers and make recommendations for their repairs or replacement that would have to be followed within 30 days.
• Hire a licensed mold assessor and mold remediation contractor to develop and implement a plan to rid impacted apartments of mold.
• Provide housing for any tenant whose apartment needs significant renovations to bring it up to code.
• Provide restitution to affected tenants and pay additional penalties to the state.

In addition, the owners of the Kenney apartments would be barred from retaliating against any tenant who complained about unsafe conditions or obtaining any judgment against a tenant who withheld rent due to unsafe conditions. Attorney General James is also seeking the appointment of an independent monitor, paid for by the Kenney’s owners, to ensure compliance with the order’s requirements.

“I’ve seen firsthand the absolutely unacceptable, dangerous conditions at the Kenney apartments — raw sewage seeping from toilets, chronic roof leakage, no heat, and mouse infestations,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “The fact that the landlords are allowing members of our community – including children and seniors – to live like this is completely outrageous. These Newburgh residents deserve better than negligent landlords who only care about profits and have utterly failed to live up to their responsibilities. I am grateful to Attorney General James for taking on this case, and will not stop fighting alongside her on behalf of our community until their needs are met and those responsible are held accountable.”

“The conditions at the Kenney Apartments are intolerable and should have been addressed as each incident was reported,” said Senator Robert G. Rolison. “I thank the Attorney General’s office for taking action to hold the owners accountable, and I hope that residents will soon see meaningful improvements and better living conditions.”

“Every resident is entitled to the basics: heat, hot water, a solid roof over their heads, and a home free of mold and rodents,” said Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson. “The conditions at Kenney apartments have been inhumane. As a former Assistant Attorney General in Poughkeepsie, I know how important it is that Attorney General James is bringing the full weight of her office to bear in this matter. This wasn’t election-year politics — she realized that people have been suffering and she took action. Thank you to the Attorney General for not forgetting the residents of Newburgh.”

“Families and seniors at the Kenney Apartments were living in conditions no one should have to accept—without reliable heat, without basic repairs, and without the peace of mind that comes from knowing your house is a home,” said Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey. “These are working parents, older residents, and neighbors who did everything right and still found themselves ignored by their landlord. When that happens, leadership has a duty to step in and insist on accountability. I appreciate Attorney General James for taking this seriously and for working with us to make sure these residents are treated fairly and with the respect they deserve.”

“For years, residents of the Kenney and Bourne Apartments have endured unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, including mold, rodents, sewage leaks, excessive utility costs, and hazardous structural conditions—often while fearing retaliation if they spoke up,” said Newburgh Councilmember-at-Large Robert McLymore. “After learning what our seniors and families were living through, I met with residents, visited their apartments, and worked alongside City staff as we pressed ownership to correct these conditions. When management stopped responding and these conditions persisted, I contacted the New York State Attorney General’s office to escalate the matter. With the support of the Attorney General’s Office, we will continue to ensure every resident has a safe, secure home and we will hold these property owners accountable.”

“Today’s announcement happened because residents came together and spoke out,” said Newburgh Councilmember Tamika Stewart. “Let me be clear, this is not a place where developers and landlords will profit while our residents suffer. Newburgh is not for sale, and anyone betting otherwise picked the wrong city.”

“Safe, habitable housing is a legal right, and residents should never be forced to endure conditions that threaten their health or dignity,” said Newburgh City Manager Todd Venning. “As those conditions worsened at the Kenney Apartments, the City used its full enforcement toolkit—inspections, violation orders, and Housing Court proceedings—to compel compliance and protect residents. When ownership and management stopped engaging and we uncovered that residents were being threatened with retaliation for reporting conditions, it became clear that municipal enforcement alone would not be sufficient. Escalation was the responsible next step, and our established working relationship with Attorney General James allowed us to move quickly to bring additional enforcement authority to bear. We are grateful for Attorney General James’s unwavering commitment to justice, accountability, and the Newburgh community.”

“The rapid deterioration of conditions at the Kenney Apartments was not mere neglect by one or two bad actors — it was a business model that externalized harm onto residents while ownership ignored its most basic responsibilities,” said Deputy Newburgh City Manager Mike Neppl. “When corporate landlords choose profits over people and allow conditions to deteriorate to this level, government has an obligation to intervene and escalate. I am grateful to our City Codes Compliance Bureau, and to Attorney General James and her team for moving quickly and forcefully to expand enforcement beyond the City’s authority and make clear that this kind of conduct will not be tolerated in Newburgh.”

“For years, Black and brown families in Newburgh have been forced to live in conditions that no one should ever be asked to endure – freezing apartments, mold, sewage, and complete disregard from building owners who profit off their suffering," said Juanita O. Lewis, Executive Director of Community Voices Heard. “Today marks a turning point that all tenants should take note of. When residents organize and speak out, we can demand accountability. We applaud Attorney General James for taking decisive action and standing with tenants to make it clear that landlords who neglect their responsibilities will be held accountable, and that safe, dignified housing is a right.”

“The owners have neglected their tenants’ homes and shown callous disregard for their health and safety,” said Sam Bergsohn, staff attorney at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. “The Attorney General’s application for an independent monitor is critical to protect the well-being of these tenants.”

This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Justin Haines of the Poughkeepsie Regional Office and Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Poughkeepsie Regional Office Vinita Kamath. The Poughkeepsie Regional Office is a part of the Division of Regional Affairs, which is led by Deputy Attorney General Jill Faber. The Division of Regional Affairs is overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.