Folks, if you're trying to convince your significant other to stop stalling and marry you because that's the only way you can get an apartment, watch out: A couple is suing one apartment building's co-op board for discriminating against unmarried couples. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Emily Jane Goodman ruled that Andrew Jorgensen and Lisa Latoni can sue the board at the Sherman Square building (201 West 70th Street) for discrimination. Jorgensen and Latoni wanted to buy a two-bedroom apartment in 2003 and both be shareholders, but the board didn't want to look at their finances as one unit.
They signed a contract to purchase the apartment together, and got approval for a $480,000 loan to help them buy the $880,000 apartment, which has a $1,548-a-month maintenance bill.
The couple thought it was a done deal because their joint income was more than $325,000 a year and their joint net worth was more than $1 million — but the building refused to look at them as a single economic unit, saying it does that only for married couples. The board did find Latoni was financially qualified to buy the apartment and that Jorgensen could live there with her, but it wouldn't let him be a shareholder.
Aw, this is sweet - the suit is to give Jorgensen is right to the place. This case brings up the question of how the co-op board deals with gay couples, though we guess just one person would buy the place and the other would live there, with shareholder rights. Hmm, Gothamist wonders if the board's appeal will use other cases of unmarried couples fighting to the death over the precious, precious apartment when they split.
Our favorite movie about marrying for an apartment is Green Card. For that apartment, we'd marry a big Frenchman we didn't know.
