Queens resident faces eviction after allegedly denying landlord’s advances
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Carlene Hosang (center left) backed by protestors from the New York City Communities For Change in front of Queens Civil Court on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. Eagle Photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach
A South Jamaica resident was joined by protestors in front of Queens’ Civil Court on Thursday in a rally of support for the Queens resident who is facing eviction from her home of 13 years after allegedly declining her landlord’s sexual advances.
Carlene Hosang, 52, who came to the United States from Jamaica 15 years ago, alleges that her landlord, Michael O’Neil, approached her with sexual advances and told her he would cancel her rent if she slept with him. After denying his requests, Hosang said her landlord began making efforts to evict her.
“I don’t stoop that low, and I will never go that low,” she told the Eagle.
“I have done everything right for 13 years – I’ve paid my rent on time, kept my apartment clean, and treated my neighbors with respect,” she added. “Yet I could lose my home simply because my landlord decided to take advantage of his position.”
Backed by New York City Communities for Change on Thursday prior to the first appearance in the case, Hosang discussed the issues that she alleges have been going on since the start pandemic.
According to the group, Hosang first started facing harassment from O’Neil, who lives in the building, when he made “comments of a sexual nature to her that grew more frequent and explicit over time.”
“I'm afraid to call the police because his son is a cop,” Hosang said. “I was depressed, I got a job. This was a job that I wanted but I stopped training before I finished the training and lost the job because I was depressed.”
According to Hosang, in November of 2022, O’Neil threatened to call his lawyer to evict the Queens resident, and she came home to find her locks changed the same day. Hosang was only able to get back into the apartment after her college-aged daughter stepped in. She says the landlord continued to retaliate against her, recently turning off the gas after temperatures dropped.
Hosang was at court on Thursday for her first appearance for a holdover eviction case filed by her landlord.
“She'd be living her life and pursuing her happiness instead of being pursued by a landlord who thinks she should owe him more than just rent,” said Jean-Andre Sassine from NYCCC. “We're just here to see that that kind of predatory behavior is ended.”
Hosang was joined inside the court by her two-daughters, as well as Jeremy Maldonado from Communities For Change.
“He even offered to cancel her rent if she slept with him, which is a violation of our housing rights and human rights issues,” Maldonado said. “Everyone has consented for their own bodies, and they shouldn't be put in a position where they feel pressured to exploit themselves, whether as a tenant or as a human being.”
For the advocates present on Thursday, Hosang’s case was not all that unfamiliar, and supported their calls for Good Cause Eviction laws which would require landlords to show justification for evictions and back rent hikes with financial evidence.
“With Good Cause in place, the vulnerable have extra protections instead of the whims of predators,” said Sassine. “If it's not sexual harassment, the fact that a landlord can just jack up the rent when the lease is up to whatever. And in the city, we’re in a crisis where rent is going up 30, 50, even 100 percent in some cases, and working people can’t afford a price tag like that just out of the blue.”
“Ultimately, people should have protections against tactics like these,” said Maldonado. “That's what this rally is really about. To support people who are going through issues that are out of their control.”
Inside the courthouse, Hosang worked to acquire counsel before the case was adjourned for a later date.
“I came here because I want better for my kids,” Hosang said. “I didn't go to college, but my kids go to college. And that's what I come here for.”
“I'm trying to give them the best opportunity,” she added. “I don't want nobody to stop that.”
Attorneys for the landlord from Balsamo & Rosenblatt PC declined to comment on the case.
Around the same time Hosang’s case was playing out on Sutphin Boulevard, Brooklyn City Councilmember Sandy Nurse introduced a resolution on Thursday in support of state lawmakers’ Good Cause Eviction bill.
“Our city is facing a historical housing crisis, with unprecedented rental prices, record homelessness, dubious landlord practices, and an overwhelming wave of evictions,” Nurse said in a statement. “These issues encourage predatory owners to evict low-income tenants and chase after higher-paying tenants. Put simply, we cannot afford to go another year without passing Good Cause.”
