New York Desk

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.

The New York Sun
NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

CITYWIDE

Woman Blaming Co-Op For Spread of Bed Bugs

An Upper East Side woman is suing her co-op board alleging that despite her repeated pleas and an exterminator’s intervention, the building let the bed bugs bite. Madelyn Bender said her apartment in now uninhabitable, and she’s living in a Manhattan hotel. She suspects the infestation came from an adjoining apartment on the fourth floor of 300 E. 71st St., where she has lived since 1989. The bedbugs have caused “calamities” including forcing her to board her dog at a veterinarian’s office, eat all her meals out, and buy new furniture. “Plaintiff has had difficulty sleeping, has constant dreams of being bit and is distressed each and every day regarding these events,” her legal papers, filed yesterday in New York State Supreme Court, allege. She is seeking at least $600,000 in damages. The building’s management company did not return messages left by The New York Sun. Bedbug infestation has doubled in rental units in the last fiscal year, according to complaints logged by the city, but no such tally is kept for co-ops. A proposal by City Council Member Gale Brewer, who held a City Council hearing in September about bedbugs where victims testified about their woes, would ban the sale of reconditioned mattresses.

— Special to the Sun

STATEWIDE

Groups Seeks Auto Insurance Regulation

The city’s top financial watchdog asked Governor-elect Spitzer yesterday to tackle “unjustifiably high” auto insurance premiums in New York that have increased even though claim pay-outs have fallen. New York City Comptroller William Thompson Jr. said that while insurers should be allowed to profit, the rates they charge New Yorkers are “simply unconscionable,” and he wants rates to be slashed by a total of $1.5 billion. “Nobody wants to be ripped off. Nobody wants to be gouged.” Last year, Empire State insurers reported $10.5 billion in earned premiums, 29% higher than the 2000 figure of $8.2 billion, while their losses fell by 20%, to $5.1 billion from $6.4 billion. Premiums in New York City are higher than in other parts of the country because claims usually cost insurers more, an auto insurance industry spokeswoman said. “When you think about the state, you’ve got a lot of densely populated areas,” a vice president of the Insurance Information Institute, Carolyn Gorman, said. Ms. Gorman said lawsuits, vehicle repairs, and medical care can be pricier here, and added that more regulation could mean less competition, ultimately leading to higher rates.

— Special to the Sun

POLICE BLOTTER

Man Used Stolen Credit Cards To Pay Tickets

A Brooklyn man has been arrested for allegedly using stolen credit cards to pay for 53 parking tickets worth more than $4,700, Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn announced yesterday. Investigators said they believe Daniel Markovitz, 23, made Internet payments on behalf of himself, friends, and relatives using three stolen cards. Investigators said Mr. Markovitz used the stolen cards to pay the parking fines, and pocketed at least $2,000 in cash.

— Special to the Sun

NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

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.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use