Attorney General James Secures Court Order Against Syracuse Landlord Green National for Failing to Address Dangerous Living Conditions

 

Troy Green Held in Civil and Criminal Contempt of Court, Ordered to Pay $152,000, and Permanently Banned from Owning Affordable Housing Properties

New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a court order against Troy Green and his company, Greenland Properties LLC and its related entities (Green National), for failing to address significant code violations at his properties in Syracuse. The judge held Green National and Troy Green, individually, in civil and criminal contempt of court for disobeying a previous court order that required Green National to comply with the terms of an agreement with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). The court order requires Green to pay $152,000 in criminal contempt fines and $250 in civil contempt fines, and he has until September 11, 2023 to pay the fines or serve 30 days in jail for contempt. The order also permanently bans Green from owning, operating, or managing affordable housing properties in New York and requires his company, Green National, to pay $299,000 in penalties.

“This decision sends a clear message that landlords who repeatedly ignore the law and let tenants live in awful conditions will not be let off the hook,” said Attorney General James. “Tenants at Green’s properties were forced to live in unsafe and unsanitary conditions for too long. New Yorkers deserve to live in dignity, and we will continue to do our job to make sure they are protected.”

The court order requires Green National to pay $299,000 for the violations that were not timely corrected as required by the agreement with OAG. In addition, the order fines Green National $5,000 for engaging in deceptive business practices and falsely advertising that their rental properties were clean, safe, and well-kept and that their business focus was on cleaner, safer, and sustainable communities.

Green’s properties had several significant violations, including poor security, broken elevators, broken doors, missing and/or inoperable smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, roach infestations, and plumbing leaks, among other violations. In February 2022, Attorney General James reached an agreement with Green National to correct code violations in their buildings in a timely manner, retain an independent monitor to review its code compliance procedures, and submit monthly reports to OAG. Green National paid a $300,000 penalty in connection with that agreement. In October 2022, Attorney General James sued Green National for failing to comply with parts of that agreement. In December 2022, Attorney General James secured a court order requiring Green National to pay additional penalties for continuing to violate terms of the agreement.