Latest news with #ManhattanSupremeCourt
New York Post
21 minutes ago
- New York Post
Unhinged doomsdayer terrorizing NYC apartment building
An unhinged doomsdayer is allegedly making life hell for his Gramercy Park neighbors — blasting pornography out his window, ranting about Jews, and shrieking about the end of the world. William Zimmerman's behavior has been erratic for over a decade — but it's gotten so unbearable his landlord is asking a court to give him the boot, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court claims Zimmerman, 34, is accused of spitting and urinating in the hallways of his East 21st St. apartment building, threatening another tenant's dog, pilfering packages, and using racial and antisemitic slurs –along with 'threats of mass harm' against tenants, the suit claims. The apparently unemployed tenant has so far created $75,000 worth of damage in his 13 years in his rent stabilized pad, including allegedly creating a water leak in his second-floor bathroom that continues to damage apartments below, claims the May 16 lawsuit. In addition, he blared videos or audio on a speaker 'of what sounded like people being murdered with audio of women screaming for their life and gun shots' after shrieking, 'We will all be killed tomorrow,' according to the suit. Several tenants have even asked to break their leases because of Zimmerman, the landlord claimed in the suit. One former tenant said life in the building was miserable. 'We put up with a lot for a very, very long time,' the person, who moved out in 2021, told The Post. 'I felt I had no other choice but to move.' Tenants claim Zimmerman is making life in the building miserable. J.C. Rice Another tenant recalled how 15 to 16 NYPD officers evacuated the building several years ago after Zimmerman barricaded himself inside his apartment. 'I think they got his father on the phone to try to talk him into opening the door,' the ex-tenant said. 'They were yelling through the door for him to come out.' The NYPD reported fielding 46 911 calls 'for various reasons' from the building within the last three years. None resulted in criminal charges for William Zimmerman, who has never filed taxes, according to court records. The building's owner and landlord, Apartment Management Incorporated, has tried since 2012 to evict Zimmerman and his father, Frank, who first leased the pad in 1968, records show. In previous legal filings arguing his 'succession rights' to the apartment, William Zimmerman has blamed his erratic behavior on 'depression,' saying he was treated at Bellevue Hospital in 2011. The landlord settled a lawsuit with Zimmerman three years ago in which he agreed to behave, but he has failed to abide by any of those terms, according to the court papers. The suit seeks monetary damages as well as an injunction barring Zimmerman from remaining in the apartment. Neither Frank nor William Zimmerman could be reached for comment. No one came to the door when The Post knock on William's apartment Thursday.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein still deciding whether he'll testify in NYC sex assault retrial
Harvey Weinstein is still on the fence about whether he'll take the stand in his own defense in his Manhattan sex assault retrial, his lawyer said Thursday. As Weinstein's Manhattan Supreme Court trial inches to a close, the former Hollywood producer will have to make his decision before the defense rests its case in the coming days. 'It's usually, but not always, the most difficult defense decision to make,' defense lawyer Arthur Aidala said. 'We're gonna make a game time, more or less, decision.' Aidala said the defense team spent the Memorial Day weekend with Weinstein, who's being held in Bellevue Hospital, to discuss whether he'll testify. 'He thinks that the evidence at this trial has been challenged very forcefully and many of [the accusers'] stories have been torn apart,' Aidala said. Still, he said, 'There is a part of him that is seriously contemplating whether in a he-said-she-said case, human beings feel obligated to hear the other side of the story. … There's no easy answer.' The trial has featured testimony from three accusers — one-time actress Jessica Mann, former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, and Polish model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola. Mann and Haley testified at Weinstein's 2020 Manhattan Supreme Court trial, which ended in a guilty verdict and a 23-year prison term. The state's highest court overturned the jury's guilty verdict in that case last year, ruling 4-3 that the trial court judge shouldn't have allowed testimony of 'uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes.' On Thursday, the defense called Helga Samuelsen, who was Sokola's roommate in fall 2005. Sokola testified that when she was a 16-year-old model, Weinstein rubbed her vagina under her pants and underwear in 2002, and two years later, he grabbed her breast in a limo. In 2006, she alleged, he forcibly performed oral sex on her in the Tribeca Grand hotel, while her sister waited at a restaurant table downstairs. Samuelsen testified that Weinstein visited Sokola's apartment in 2005, and Sokola led her to a bedroom, where they stayed behind closed doors for about a half-hour. Prosecutors tried to cast doubt on Samuelsen's credibility, pointing out that she sent a text to Sokola saying she felt 'forced' to sign an affidavit for the defense, and bringing up her connections and friendships in Weinstein's circle. With News Wire Services
New York Post
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Private equity bigwig shocks courtroom with Alzheimer's diagnosis during bombshell NYC divorce trial: ‘I'm a lowly business man'
A private equity CEO wrapped in a bruising divorce battle shocked a Manhattan courtroom this week when he suddenly announced he has Alzheimer's disease — potentially opening him up to regulator sanctions and shareholder lawsuits, experts said. John Foster, 83, managing partner of the $800 million private equity firm HealthPointCapital, made the stunning, unprompted admission in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday as he testified in his divorce case against his estranged wife of 15 years Stephanie Foster, 57. 'I'm a lowly business man,' said Foster, a longtime health devices bigwig who spent much of his testimony claiming he couldn't recall whether he had signed notarized documents or sworn affidavits. 5 John H. Foster, center, stunned a courtroom Wednesday when he announced a previously undisclosed Alzheimer's diagnosis. Steven Hirsch 'I'm 83-years-old — I have recently had an MRI, which is a brain scan for my Alzheimer's,' he suddenly added, divulging a previously-undisclosed illness. Experts said the revelation from Foster — who spent much of his testimony claiming he couldn't remember signing official documents — could potentially have serious legal consequences outside of his messy divorce. 'That may be material information that has to be disclosed under federal law and SEC regulations,' said securities fraud trial lawyer, Michael P. Bowen. Foster — who is currently under a no-contact order due to 'taunting' text messages he sent to his soon-to-be ex-wife last fall — also erupted in court Wednesday as he bemoaned the hourly rates charged by her attorneys. '$40,000 a day for this bulls—t,' he said loudly, as the lawyers spoke with the judge at the bench. His own apparently well-compensated lawyer, Linda Rosenthal — who has previously claimed her client has 'barely a positive net worth, if at all' — told him to zip it. 5 John Foster spent much of the day saying he could not recall basic things, like if he had signed notarized documents or his sworn affidavit. Steven Hirsch During what was his second day on the stand this week, Foster repeatedly answered 'I don't recall' in response to basic questions about if he remembered signing notarized documents, a statement of net worth, records of million-dollar deposits and his sworn affidavit. After answering yes when pressed by his wife's high-powered attorney Rita Glavin to confirm he had Alzheimer's, he later tried to qualify by saying: 'yes and I am being examined' for the disease when he got his MRI a week earlier. But when Glavin asked him to clarify an earlier statement about his diagnosis, Foster said he could not recall why he got an MRI, or what he had previously said in his testimony. 5 Wife Stephanie Foster has long claimed that her husband is hiding potentially hundreds of millions in a 'net worth strategy' to avoid a divorce payout. Steven Hirsch Bowen, who is not involved in the Foster case, said that while there's no clear line of when a duty to disclose is triggered, a diagnosis like Alzheimer's is one that could directly impact Foster's fund. 'An investor would want to know that information,' Bowen said, adding that the specifics are what matters in cases like this. 'It could lead to sanctions by the SEC, or to shareholder lawsuits,' he said, if Foster's condition was not properly disclosed. 5 Texts found by Stephanie Foster on John Foster's phone allegedly congratulating his lawyer for successfully hiding his wealth from her. Courtesy Stephanie Foster Foster told the court Wednesday that his company placed him on leave 'several weeks ago' due to 'other litigation not to do with this proceeding' — something he hadn't disclosed during his testimony the prior day. Healthpoint Capital still lists Foster as its first managing partner on their website. The company did not immediately respond to questions regarding Foster's current status of employment or when he last signed investor statements and other documentation on behalf of the firm. Glavin — who also reps ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the sexual harassment lawsuits he faces — peppered Foster about his wife's claim that he attempted to hide more than $6.3 million in income from her. Foster has previously claimed during the nearly four-year-long acrimonious separation that his wife's spending has left him destitute, but she claims to have discovered a text message that reveals a deliberate 'net-worth strategy' to hide his true assets. 5 Stephanie Foster, center, leaving the courthouse Wednesday with one of her lawyers, BriAnne Copp. Steven Hirsch When Glavin asked if he had been placed on leave because of the allegations he used company accounts to hide personal income from a business deal, Foster immediately clammed up. 'Judge, I think we should close for the day,' Foster said as he placed a pair of hearing-aided headphones on his head that he only wore occasionally during the day. 'I'm not up for it.' He then complained that his wife had too many lawyers, and he, too few. 'She has too many lawyers. It's three verses four,' he riffed. At other points, Foster had his head buried in his hands, or was too busy scrolling on his smartphone to respond to questions from Glavin as he sat in the witness stand. 'Mr. Foster, can you please put your phone down for a moment?' Glavin requested repeatedly. 'Do you think your testimony is important?' 'I'm not at liberty to discuss,' he said from the witness stand. 'Yes you are,' Glavin replied. 'You are under a subpoena.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Mom of murdered gay man claims evangelical Trump impeachment lawyer misled cops about son's death: lawsuit
The evangelical Christian lawyer who led the defense team in President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial is accused of trying to cover up the murder of one of his organization's employees by a New York City gang that preyed on gay men, after which he and his adult son allegedly tampered with evidence and impeded the police investigation into the 2022 killing. In a $20 million-plus lawsuit filed Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court and obtained by The Independent, Linda Clary Umberger claims attorney Jay Sekulow and his son, Jordan, not only misled the cops about her son's murder, but also blocked her from collecting an insurance payout she hoped to receive following his death. Clary Umberger's suit paints the Sekulows' alleged actions as an attempt to conceal the fact that they had hired a gay man to establish a local base for their faith-based legal nonprofit, the American Center for Law and Justice, in a sumptuous townhouse near Central Park. In her complaint against both men and the ACLJ, along with Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism (CASE), an organization headed up by Jay Sekulow that co-owned the townhouse, Clary Umberger says the response to her son's homicide 'ranged from unhelpful to hostile.' 'It appears from their conduct that Defendants were primarily interested in keeping the matter quiet, not wishing to draw public attention to the fact that they had spent $16.5 million – presumably raised from donors – to purchase New York City real estate and not wishing to draw public attention to the fact that they had employed a gay man who had been murdered,' the complaint alleges. 'They were hoping the matter would be quickly and quietly resolved.' Reached on Wednesday evening by The Independent, Clary Umberger pointed out that it had been three years to the day since her son John Umberger was killed and said she was 'grateful' for the interest in her lawsuit. Compounding her woes, Clary Umberger, who lives in the Atlanta area, said her dog was recently bitten by a rattlesnake and remains hospitalized. Citing the ongoing legal action, Clary Umberger deferred any further comment to her attorneys, who declined to discuss the case on the record. On Thursday, attorney Michael Bowe, who represents Jay and Jordan Sekulow, denied the allegations in Clary Umberger's complaint. 'The murder of John Umberger was a tragic and a huge loss of a very talented and good young man who ACLJ was honored to have as a colleague,' Bowe told The Independent. 'The complaint's allegations against our client are demonstrably untrue, which will become clear as the case proceeds.' The elder Sekulow, who gained significant public attention during Trump's first term as the lead lawyer defending the 45th president on the Senate floor after the House of Representatives impeached him for trying to blackmail Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into announcing sham investigations of Joe Biden and son Hunter, has a long history of anti-LGBT+ activism. A veteran Supreme Court litigator who has argued — and won — multiple cases before the high court, Sekulow, 68, was the primary author of a 2002 amicus brief which urged the justices against overturning a Texas law which criminalized 'homosexual conduct.' Jordan Sekulow, 42, serves as the executive director of the ACLJ and co-hosts a syndicated radio program with his father. During the last week of May 2022, John Umberger took a train from Washington, D.C. to New York City 'to enhance ACLJ's contacts and presence [there], and to work on enhancing the townhouse's security, housing and meeting facilities,' according to Clary Umberger's complaint. Once he arrived, Umberger penned a handwritten note to Jordan Sekulow, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to work for the ACLJ, the complaint states. 'He was excited to be working for Defendants, to be visiting New York City, and to be working on the Townhouse,' it says. 'John had taken a reduction in pay to join ACLJ and the conversations at his hiring indicated he would have a path to partnership at the organization.' On the night of May 27, 2022, Umberger and some friends went out to a Midtown Manhattan gay bar called The Q, where two men, Jacob Barroso and Jayqwan Hamilton drugged him with lidocaine and fentanyl-laced cocaine and led him back to the ACLJ townhouse. There, the pair gained access to his mobile phone, wallet, and bank account, stealing $25,000 in cash, and used their own mobile phones to take video footage of themselves 'frolicking' as Umberger lay dying as a result of the toxic cocktail he'd been unwittingly given, according to the complaint. Barroso and Hamilton subsequently used Umberger's ACLJ credit cards to make a series of unauthorized purchases, 'including a despicable post-murder spending spree at a Footlocker store,' the complaint contends. Clary Umberger alleges in her suit that the ACLJ townhouse 'lacked security,' without cameras inside or outside, or security personnel on-site. 'Indeed, except for basic locks on the doors, the Townhouse lacked any security measures whatsoever,' the complaint says. 'Accordingly, the perpetrators easily were able to gain entry with John in his incapacitated state.' In the days that followed, Clary Umberger became concerned when she didn't hear at all from her son during the long Memorial Day weekend, according to the complaint. So, on June 1, 2022, she reached out to Jordan Sekulow to ask if he or his father had spoken to John. Jordan Sekulow told her they hadn't heard from him since the previous Friday and said he'd dispatch a property manager to check on him, the complaint states. One of the Sekulows' employees then discovered John's body, and it was the Sekulows — plus their 'chief of security,' a man named Jacob Carringer, who initially informed Umberger of the news, the complaint further alleges. It says Jordan 'insisted' there had been 'no foul play' and told her that her son had died of natural causes. Yet, the complaint contends, he began telling ACLJ personnel that John had died 'of a self-induced 'overdose.'' 'That false rumor began making the rounds, by text message and otherwise, spreading information that would prove to be false, and tarnishing John's image posthumously,' the complaint states, further arguing that the misleading assertion also led NYPD detectives to initially treat Umberger's death as a non-criminal matter. What's more, Clary Umberger alleges that the Sekulows' or their employee 'cleaned up' the crime scene before calling police to report her son's death and allowing investigators access to the townhouse by removing his stationery, pens, papers, and company-issued laptop and concealing the computer — and its contents — from police investigators. Although Clary Umberger received an undisclosed sum from life insurance coverage her son had taken out, her complaint says the ACLJ prevented her from pursuing any claim she could have been entitled to under a $10 million liability policy the organization had for staffers. 'In short,' the complaint states, 'Defendants made it impossible for the Estate or Linda to collect proceeds they would have been entitled to and thereby have necessitated the filing of this action. This March, ACLJ and CASE reportedly sold the Upper East Side townhouse where Umberger was murdered for $27.5 million, securing an $11 million profit – some 70 percent more than the initial purchase price – after just three years. 'For his efforts on the project,' Clary Umberger's complaint says, 'John lost his life.' The previous month, Barroso, Hamilton and a third man, Robert DeMaio, were convicted of Umberger's murder and that of another victim, 25-year-old social worker Julio Ramirez, who also died after being drugged at a Manhattan gay bar. Last week, Hamilton and DeMaio received prison sentences of 40 years to life; Barroso was sentenced to 20 years to life. Clary Umberger's lawsuit claims negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and tortious interference, seeking compensatory damages of at least $23 million, plus punitive damages to be determined at trial.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Medical expert talks about erectile dysfunction shot at Harvey Weinstein's NYC sex assault retrial
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein's lawyers tried to deflate one of the rape claims against him Wednesday with a medical expert's testimony on how long it takes for an erectile dysfunction injection to work. The expert, Virginia-based doctor and pharmacist Matthew Lee, told jurors that the medication, sold under the name Caverject, must be mixed by hand and injected directly into the penis, and it takes five to 20 minutes to kick in. Lee's testimony comes after one of Weinstein's three accusers at his Manhattan Supreme Court sexual assault retrial, Jessica Mann, accused the former Miramax mogul of raping her within moments of checking into a room at Midtown's DoubleTree Hotel on March 18, 2013. Mann told jurors she noticed a needle in the bathroom trash afterward, and when she looked up the medication, she learned it was used to restore function to his 'dead penis.' Lee testified that preparing the medication takes time, since a dose 'comes with a little plastic container, two bottles, a syringe and two needles,' and the process involves mixing powder with water using one needle, then drawing the mixture out with a second needle. 'After the medicine is injected into the shaft of the penis, how long does it take to take effect?' Weinstein defense lawyer Arthur Aidala asked,' with Lee responding, 'It takes anywhere from five to 20 minutes to take effect. The average is 10 to 15 minutes.' Lee, who never examined or met Weinstein, was the defense team's first witness after prosecutors rested their case, six weeks into the trial. Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg grilled the doctor during her cross-examination, rattling off the various medical topics he's testified as an expert on — including opioids, homicide, drug overdoses, physical and cognitive impairments, and drug screenings. 'Yet you've never been retained as an expert in erectile dysfunction?' she asked, and Lee responded, 'Not necessarily, but there's a common theme to all those cases, and that is pharmacology.' The trial featured allegations from three accusers — Mann, former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, and Polish model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola. Mann and Haley testified at Weinstein's 2020 Manhattan Supreme Court trial, which ended in a guilty verdict and a 23-year prison term. The state's highest court overturned the jury's guilty verdict in that case last year, ruling 4-3 that the trial court judge shouldn't have allowed testimony of 'uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes. _________
