‘Horrific Conditions’ Lead to $400k Settlement for Newburgh Tenants

Tenants at a Newburgh apartment complex just got a major win after years of what the Attorney General calls 'horrific' living conditions.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday, she secured $400,000 for tenants of The Kenney Apartments in Newburgh with an agreement from the owners of the complex to make all the necessary repairs to ensure tenants’ homes are safe and livable.

“The owners of The Kenney Apartments neglected their tenants for years, forcing vulnerable New Yorkers to endure cold winters without heat and other horrendous conditions,” said Attorney General James. “While there is still work to be done to ensure these tenants have a clean and safe place to live, my office is determined to hold these owners accountable. This case should be a warning to landlords throughout our state: if you ignore your tenants’ complaints and fail to address code violations, my office will make you pay for your negligence.”

The apartment complex, which is home to more than 100 low-income residents, lists available units from studios to four-bedrooms ranging from about $600 to $1125.

"Inhospitable, Dangerous Conditions" at Kenney Apartments

The complaints state for years, people living in Kenney Apartments, endured dangerous conditions, including a "consistent lack of heat and hot water through cold winters, pest infestations, broken windows and doors, mold, water and sewage leaks into their homes, and other hazards."

Attorney General James first sued the owners of The Kenney Apartments in February 2026, for failing to fix dozens of code violations that have led to inhospitable conditions.

As a result, the owners must now refund $400,000 in rent payments to tenants, make all repairs necessary to fix the building code violations, and make regular reports to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) of all tenant complaints, repairs made, and plans to fix any new violations.

The February lawsuit claimed the owners actually violated state laws by failing to properly maintain the buildings and apartments, accumulating dozens of code violations, that put residents health and safety at risk.

“The owners of The Kenney Apartments have completely abandoned their responsibilities,” said The Kenney Apartments tenant Gwen Griffin. “We have been left in freezing apartments without heat or hot water, and are dealing with unsafe electrical hazards, sewage leaks, and rodent infestations. We are grateful to Attorney General James for bringing this case to put an end to the inhumane conditions and get tenants the justice we deserve.”

The lawsuit outlines the conditions residents were consistently facing:

• a lack of consistent heat and hot water during cold winters. Residents used space heaters, resulting in higher electricity bills.
• mold and mildew that have reportedly caused illnesses,
• sewage leaking into their homes,
• and broken appliances that residents say haven’t been fixed in years.

The Attorney General shared the story of one resident, who suffers from diabetes and needed a working refrigerator for her insulin. She says the repeated calls to fix her broken refrigerator "were ignored by her landlord."

Hudson Valley Congressman Pat Ryan praised the AG for taking on the case.

“When Attorney General James and I visited the Kenney apartments, we saw the absolutely unacceptable conditions – raw sewage seeping from toilets, chronic roof leakage, no heat, and mouse infestations – firsthand. These hardworking residents deserve better than negligent landlords who only care about profits and have utterly failed to live up to their responsibilities,” said Congressman Ryan. “I’m incredibly grateful to Attorney General James for taking on this case, and for this important victory for the residents. I also want to thank Newburgh city leaders who brought this to our attention and have relentlessly advocated for a resolution here. We cannot and will not allow this to continue – and I won’t stop fighting on behalf of our community until every resident’s needs are met and those responsible are held accountable.”

Senator Robert Rolison said the conditions endured by residents went on for too long.

“For too long, the residents of the Kenney Apartments have lived in unacceptable conditions. I’m pleased this settlement provides financial relief for tenants while ensuring the long-overdue repairs are finally made.”

For the residents, they are just thankful their cries for help were finally answered and for a safe place to live.

“Kenney Apartments tenants never stopped fighting for change, and now we are getting justice,” said The Kenney Apartments tenant Gaylord Geter. “While our landlords ignored calls for help, Attorney General James took action to hold them accountable. We look forward to seeing all the repairs getting made to our homes so that we have a safe place to live.”

Terms of the Kenney Apartments Settlement

Under the settlement with the Office of the Attorney General:

"the owners and managers of The Kenney Apartments must take immediate action to repair the complex’s buildings and fix all outstanding code violations to ensure tenants have safe and habitable apartments. These repairs include mold remediation, plumbing fixes, repairs to doors, windows, floors, and walls, new paint, and more. The owners must also pay $409,697 back to tenants as a rent abatement for the months they lived in unsafe conditions. If the owners violate the settlement, they will be liable for a $100,000 penalty. To ensure the owners comply, the settlement requires them to make monthly reports to OAG documenting their progress and any new issues that arise. These reports must include details of all tenant complaints and actions taken to investigate them, all repairs done to correct code violations, any ongoing repairs, and any new code violations, along with a plan to address them."