Dear Client, It is with great sadness that we inform you that our dear friend and colleague Jesse Baker passed away on Saturday. Needless to say, this is a tremendous loss to all of us. Jesse was a wonderful man. He was a great attorney and an even better person. He filled our hearts with warmth and joy. He will be truly missed. Thank you

Welcome to the new website of Gutman, Mintz, Baker & Sonnenfeldt P.C. The website provides our clients with up to date information regarding their buildings and tenants. Update: In an appeal where our office represented the landlord, the Appellate Term 2nd and 11th Departments, in a landlmark decision, has held that landlords with electric sub-meters can initiate holdover proceedings against tenants who are not paying their electric bills based on the theory that it is a substantial violation of the tenancy for tenants to fail to make such payments. Click to view the decision in the case of C.H.T Place, LLC VS Rios

Rejecting Section 8 Subsidies Pursuant to Int. No 61-A, also known as Local Law 10, which was passed by the New York City Counsel on 3/27/08 landlords may not discriminate against prospective tenants based on their "lawful source of income". The term "lawful source of income" is defined as "income derived from social security, or any form of federal, state or local public assistance or housing assistance including Section 8 Vouchers". In other words, landlords are effectively prohibited from rejecting prospective tenants on the sole basis that such tenants will be receiving rent subsidy payments from such programs as Section 8. Essentially, Local Law 10 analogizes a landlord's refusal to rent to a tenant because they will cover their rent with a Section 8 voucher to a landlord's refusal to rent to a tenant because of their race, gender, creed, disability, etc.