Getting Smoked Out

A Greenwich Village cancer survivor is accusing the cigar store downstairs of "killing" her with its fumes. Liza Wolsky tells the Post that her blood and immune-system disorder, complicated by asthma and the aftereffects of chemotherapy on her lungs, means her body cannot take the fumes from Reserva Dominicana Cigars, the West 13th cigar haven. After complaining and getting no response, she did what any American does: She's filed a lawsuit - a "first-of-its-kind suit against the store to force it to either install a more effective filtration system or stop its customers from smoking inside." Reserva says that their filter was actually much more effective and posits that the smoke Wolsky experience is from neighbors or people on the street. This matter is very interesting to Gothamist, not just because we suffer the fumes of our neighbors' cigars. What lengths do the retail businesses in NYC apartment buildings need to go to so the tenants can live peacefully? The landlords call the shots, but how much enforcing do they really do? It seems like when there's a sound disturbance from the club downstairs, neighbors will call 311. If it persists, a neighbor might speak with the business owner. But then what? Do you be the annoying tenant bothering the business or just sit back and hope it ends?

Get your cigar fix on with Cigar Aficionado. Or kick it with Nicorette.