Domestic Violence Victims May End Leases Under Bill
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Domestic violence victims who feel unsafe in their apartments will be able to ask a judge to terminate their leases, under a bill signed into law Monday by Governor Spitzer.
The new law allows domestic violence victims with an order of protection against a batterer to seek a separate court order that would allow them to terminate a residential lease without penalty.
Sponsors of the law say that many victims want to move where their abuser cannot find them, but lack the money to do it.
Under the new law, victims would have to demonstrate to a judge that they are at risk in their current residence, that moving would reduce that risk, and that they asked the landlord for a voluntary termination.
Mr. Spitzer said he signed the law even though it created a number of ambiguities, such as how lease termination would apply to a joint tenant.
He asked lawmakers to work with his administration to draft new legislation to address the unresolved issues.
