Latest news with #Schwalb
New York Post
17-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Queens College ‘cleans house' of Jewish accounting professors: Lawsuit
Queens College purged its accounting department of Jewish adjunct professors after 'antisemitic hate speech and violence' erupted on campus following the Hamas terror attack on Israel, according to a lawsuit. Adjunct accounting professor Helen Schwalb says the City University of New York school declined to reappoint her in May 2023 — along with five Jewish colleagues — as part of an effort to 'clean house of its Jewish staff,' she claimed in court papers. The school 'kept younger, non-Jewish educators with lower performance ratings,' Schwalb, 66, contended. Queens College has been accused of failing to reappoint its Jewish adjunct accounting professors. J.C. Rice 'The only remaining Jews in the [accounting] department are those with tenure who are in their 70s and 80s and will likely retire soon,' she said in the Brooklyn Federal Court lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. Schwalb, of Rockland County, taught two or three classes each semester as well as summer classes at the school since 2012 and had high performance ratings, she said. The school claimed there was a shortage of enrollment and budget issues, but Schwalb said in court papers the two classes she was slated to teach were fully enrolled and given to other, less qualified educators. Queens College has been accused of 'repeatedly' failing to stop a 'barrage of antisemitic hate speech and violence that emerged on campus since the October 7, 2023 massacre of Israelis by Hamas,' she said in the litigation. Enrollment in the school's accounting department is down 39% between 2020 and 2024, the school told The Post, with an 18% drop between 2022 and 2023. Queens College declined comment on the lawsuit.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘We will hold you accountable': DC Attorney General sues five drivers for traffic violations, $425K in unpaid fines
WASHINGTON () — A Maryland driver and four Virginia drivers are facing legal action for their alleged dangerous and illegal conduct on Washington, D.C. streets, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) for the District of Columbia announced Tuesday. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said he is suing the five drivers, who owe a total of $425,000 in unpaid fines, to hold them accountable for repeatedly violating D.C. traffic laws. The Maryland driver, Charles V. Sanders Jr., owes $187,200 for 344 traffic infractions, according to Schwalb. 316 of those citations were for speeding, and 61 were for driving at least 30 MPH above the speed limit. The OAG noted that Sanders had accumulated the tickets in just two years. Commanders fans excited about RFK site deal but raise concerns over ticket prices The four Virginia drivers amassed over 800 D.C. traffic tickets for speeding, running stop signs and running red lights, among other infractions, Schwalb outlined. The details of their respective lawsuits are as follows, according to the OAG: Ayanna Khalya Wilson owes the District $77,100 for 244 traffic infractions. This includes 202 citations for speeding, of which eight were for driving 30+ miles per hour over the speed limit. Omar Rahmouni El Idrissi owes the District $69,456 for 263 traffic infractions, including 246 for speeding. Dejene A. Abebe owes the District $58,608 for 197 traffic infractions, including 163 citations for speeding. Pedro James Baker owes the District $31,316 for 159 traffic infractions, including 30 citations for speeding, 20 for running red lights and 15 for running stop signs. The OAG filed the lawsuits under the Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility (STEER) Act, which the in February 2024. The act allows the OAG to sue drivers who violate D.C. traffic laws even if they don't live in the city. 'Too many drivers think they can speed recklessly through the District, putting the safety of Washingtonians and visitors at risk, with no financial consequences for their lawlessness,' Schwalb said in a statement. 'These suits reflect our continuing commitment: if your actions behind the wheel put people's lives at risk, we will hold you accountable, no matter where you live.' The lawsuits come just two months after for failing to pay D.C. over $90,000 in fines. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
29-04-2025
- Axios
D.C. targets Maryland, Virginia drivers with hundreds of violations in new lawsuits
D.C. continues to crack down on dangerous drivers with a second batch of lawsuits against Maryland and Virginia individuals who've racked up tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid fines. Why it matters: The city struggled to hold out-of-jurisdiction drivers accountable for decades. But under the new STEER Act, the District is finally able to go after repeat offenders. State of play: D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb's office has filed one suit against a Maryland driver who he says racked up over 300 speeding tickets in two years' time. Schwalb also filed his first suits against Virginia drivers, suing four who he says have amassed more than 800 traffic violations in D.C. for speeding, running signs and lights, and other violations. By the numbers: The five defendants owe D.C. around $425,000 in unpaid tickets and fees, per Schwalb. $187,000: The most a single defendant owes D.C. for nearly 350 traffic infractions. 61: The number of speeding tickets a defendant owes that are 30+ mph over the limit, which constitutes reckless driving. 15 years: How far back one of the driver's alleged infractions extend. That individual's list of violations includes 30 citations for speeding, 20 for running red lights, and 15 for running stop signs. Follow the money: The city's " scofflaw program" that boots and tows cars with outstanding tickets has recently accrued over $1 million in fines and towed over 700 vehicles, per the City Administrator.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
DC AG suing landlord over poor living conditions: 'Mountains of trash,' bedbugs, drugs, guns
WASHINGTON - Dozens of tenants in D.C. have been forced to leave their homes after the city deemed their building unsafe and unlivable. Now, there's a lawsuit from the Attorney General's office against the landlord. What we know The landlord of 5128 and 5134 Sheriff Road in Northeast D.C. is facing a lawsuit from D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb. The lawsuit details poor living conditions, including "mountains of trash," rodent and bedbug infestations, mold, and more. "Landlords and property managers have a legal obligation to provide a safe and sanitary living environment for their residents. Tenants at Sheriff Road have been forced to endure horrific, dangerous conditions for far too long, and such blatant disregard for District residents' health and safety stops today," said Schwalb in a statement. "My office will continue to use our independent authority to stand up for tenants and ensure that all Washingtonians have a safe place to call home." OAG filed its lawsuit against Mikhail Phillips, 711 49th Street LLC, RLP Investment Group LLC and Vision Realty Management LLC. The OAG's office say they collectively own or manage two multifamily buildings with 25 total units located in Ward 7. The OAG's office also alleges at least seven people were found murdered or dead at the two properties since 2023. The tenants in one of the buildings were required to evacuate Thursday — temporarily — until the building is deemed safe. What they're saying "For a very long time, they've been reaching out to the property owner … but they've gotten no responses. That stops today. This lawsuit is about restitution for the tenants and getting conditions fixed so we can have safe, habitable housing for the tenants," said Zenia Wilson Laws, Special Counsel for Nuisance Abatement. "This is the second year that I have been living with terrible, dangerous conditions including a massive roach infestation—my stove doesn't work and mold has accumulated around the door frames of the kitchen," said tenant Karen Glover in a statement. "I have been living without hot water because of a massive water leak that destroyed my heating tank." The Source This story includes information from the Office of the Attorney General as well as reporting from FOX 5's Shirin Rajaee.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Attorney General sues owner, property manager of DC apartment buildings over inhabitable living conditions
WASHINGTON () — An owner and property manager of an apartment complex in Northeast D.C. is being sued by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb over dangerous housing conditions and compromising the health and safety of tenants. In the announced on Thursday, Schwalb noted that Mikhail Phillips, 711 49th Street LLC, RLP Investment Group LLC, and Vision Realty Management LLC, failed to maintain safe and habitable conditions for tenants at the 5128 and 5134 Sheriff Road NE buildings. Officials added that prolonged neglect has allowed illegal drug and gun activity 'in and around the property' to take place. Court documents also revealed the property manager and owner of the apartment complexes do not have the proper licenses to operate or manage a multi-unit property in D.C. The two multi-family buildings have a total of 25 units. The buildings are located in Ward 7's Deanwood neighborhood, which is one of the oldest African American communities. In September of 2020, Phillips, 711 49th Street LLC, bought the property. However, since obtaining the property, Schwalb said the owner and property manager allowed conditions to deteriorate to a level that posed a severe threat to life and safety. Deal not finalized as Washington Commanders, DC negotiate new stadium During the Office of the Attorney General's (OAG) investigation, piles of trash were found outside the complexes. Officials also discovered severe roach and bedbug infestations, unlocked and unsecured doors and windows. On Feb. 7, an OAG Investigator inspected the property and found more than a foot of standing water in the basement at 5134 Sheriff Road and a strong odor emanating from the water. The next day, the District emailed Phillips, and he replied, 'This is not my problem. Stop contacting me,' according to court documents. Another response sent fifteen minutes later reads, '[A]ccording to DC comics Batman and Robin take care of Gotham city. Why don't you call them and have them handle it.' Their investigation also revealed fire-safety and electrical hazards and water damage from repeated flooding at the 5134 Sheriff Road building. While searching the property, investigators noted the buildings were dirty, doors had missing handles and bicycles and vehicle seats had been left unattended. From February 2021 to March 2025, the Department of Buildings (DOB) conducted several inspections, issuing over 30 notices of infractions. Over the four-year period, the two buildings received over 100 code violations. In March of 2025, DC News Now visited the alley along the 5100 block of Sheriff Road, finding trash piles as high as five feet. Tenants said the garbage had been piling up for at least a month and became so bad that they paid money to have it removed. PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Massive trash pile grows at Northeast DC apartment complex 'It's real, real real bad. It's real, real bad,' neighbor Stevie Lovett told DC News Now in March. 'I've just. I've never seen it like this. My eyes haven't seen things like this, ever.' For one tenant, a water leak in the unit above hers was so severe that it caused water to rain and pour into her home every day for one week. The leak caused mold to grow in her apartment for two and a half years, court documents revealed. Other tenants have lived without working stoves, refrigerators and dishwashers, and have not had hot water. 'This is the second year that I have been living with terrible, dangerous conditions including a massive roach infestation—my stove doesn't work and mold has accumulated around the door frames of the kitchen,' said tenant Karen Glover. 'I have been living without hot water because of a massive water leak that destroyed my heating tank. I repeatedly emailed the owner and never got a response.' PREVIOUS COVERAGE | 'No longer in Ward 7 will this behavior be tolerated': Massive trash pile in Northeast DC cleaned up; investigations underway On April 1, the building at 5134 Sheriff Road was placarded as uninhabitable. Eight days later, the Department of Buildings issued an order to vacate the property, requiring all tenants to leave the building by April 16. Additionally, the attorney's office said that from February 2023 to March 2025, at least seven people were found murdered or died on the property. According to the OAG, D.C. police also recovered several guns and large amounts of drugs during search warrants at the two buildings. Schwalb said the OAG is seeking a court-appointed receiver to develop and execute a plan to address the numerous housing code violations at the apartment complex, restitution and damages for harmed tenants and civil penalties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
