Judge Rules Remaining Seniors at Prospect Park Residence Will Have Day in Court

July 8, 2015 — In a city where hospitals are getting transformed into pricey condos and townhouses, it's little surprise that assisted living facilities are up for grabs, too. Location, location, location, right? Just ask the seniors — well, the remaining handful of seniors left — at Prospect Park Residence. Most of the 130 residents left after "being forced out so the building can be converted into luxury condos," reports DNAinfo. But according to the publication, the seven remaining residents, who include a Holocaust survivor and a centenarian, "sued after [the building's owner] abruptly announced that he was closing [the facility], leaving residents just 90 days to find new homes." Sometimes the little guy wins, though. Judge Wayne Saitta "sided with the seven remaining seniors at Prospect Park Residence and threw out a motion to dismiss their case against the facility and owner Haysha Deitsch." According to DNAinfo, Deitch wasn't the only one to request the seniors' case be dismissed. In an announcement praising the judge's ruling, City Councilman Brad Lander said that "the Cuomo administration's New York State Department of Health [also requested] to dismiss the case." For Deitsch, there is $76.5 million on the line — the amount of money for which he hopes to sell the building to developers. For the residents, it's their homes and livelihood. DNAinfo adds: "Saitta repeatedly ordered Deitsch to maintain services at the facility, but residents say those orders were ignored. Recently Saitta had to order Deitsch to keep the air-conditioning on in the building on hot days." New York, New York. What a wonderful town.