By Sally Goldenberg
10/19/2016 05:27 PM EDT
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said a class-action lawsuit filed this week against a development firm that has received a city tax break and allegedly overcharged tenants contains “serious allegations.”
“We work closely with the state to protect tenants in rent-stabilized housing, and we are confident that our aggressive monitoring and enforcement of our affordable housing projects – including Riverton Houses – prevents any such abuse,” his spokeswoman Melissa Grace said in an email.
Earlier in the day, the mayor said at a separate press conference that he needed to learn more about the suit before commenting.
Tenants filed the lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, accusing A&E Real Estate Holdings of circumventing rent laws and systematically removing tenants from rent-regulated apartments.
In a statement, A&E said the company was “unfairly targeted” and that it “complies fully with all laws governing rent-regulate housing and works closely with our tenants and tenant groups to resolve any issues that arise.”