A legal tempest is brewing over a West Village property, which is currently being rented for a jaw-dropping $10/month, for the next 50 years, according to The New York Post. Resident Jud Parker says that he got the former landlord Wilfred Schuman to sign a lease allowing the arrangement before his death, but now, the new landlord Pari Dulac is accusing of Parker of manipulating Schuman, who she claims was suffering from dementia when he signed the lease in 2009.
Schuman owned two townhouses at 12 and 14 Minetta Street before his death in 2010, which Dulac bought from his estate last week for $2.75 million. Parker's 1,400-square-foot duplex apartment at number 14 has two bedrooms, a backyard, and a 10-year renewal option. According to Dulac, the market rate for the unit would be around $6,000/month.
"When I saw the lease, I couldn't believe it," said Dulac. "I thought it was a joke."
Schuman was admitted to the hospital numerous times between 2007 and 2009 for alcoholism and dementia, and Ssveral neighbors' affidavits claim Schuman was "paranoid, reclusive and 'often drunk by late afternoon.'" An affidavit from Schuman's brother, who lives in Berlin, also corroborates his dementia. Dulac also claims that Parker began subleasing the apartment for $2,500 a month shortly after moving in.
Still, Parker claims that he helped care for his ailing landlord and that Schuman legally left him the apartment as a "gift."
"I was a surrogate son. I took care of him my whole life," he said. "[Dulac] wants me out because she's greedy."
· Manhattan apartment is $10 a month … for 50 years [NYP]
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