Happy New Year From Himmelstein Gribben & Joseph LLP
2025 was another dynamic, challenging, hardworking and gratifying year for all of us at HG&J LLP. Every day there was another trial, another motion, another appeal, another application for succession, another appearance before the Loft Board. And every day there was another client able to keep his or her home, take over an apartment from a family member, recover overcharges, negotiate the best settlement possible.
HG&J LLP CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT RETURNS APARTMENTS TO RENT-STABILIZATION WITH LOWER RENTS AND SUBSTANTIAL OVERCHARGE AWARDS
Starting 2026 with another victory for tenants, HG&J LLP recently settled the 350 E. 52nd Street rent overcharge/J-51 class action suit. The settlement resulted in 81 apartments being returned to rent stabilized status, provided a benefit worth $6.9M to hundreds of tenants, and resulted in over $500K in refunds to 98 class members.
BIG NEWS – WELCOME DANIEL NAKOS AS OUR NEW PARTNER
The BIG NEWS in 2025 was that our associate Daniel Nakos has joined us as a partner (beginning January 2026). Dan knows the rent laws inside-out, is always looking for a new way to interpret the law to benefit our clients. Dan is indefatigable. He’s also a great guy. We are so fortunate to have him, a face of the future for our firm.
BEST HOUSING LITIGATION TEAM IN NYC
Partners
Overall, in our humble opinion, we have the best housing litigation team in NYC. Founding partner William Gribben (“Billy”) Gribben has been at it for more than 30-years and fights for his clients with the same passion and commitment that he did when he started out. Partners Serge Joseph, David Hershey-Webb, Ronald Languedoc, Jesse Gribben, Catharine Grad and Daniel Nakos collectively have over a 100 years of experience winning for tenants, cooperative shareholders, condo unit owners and homeowners.
Associates
Milad Momeni and Vanessa Vecchiarello, have racked up many wins over the year and garnered glowing reviews from clients.
Paralegals and Support Staff
Our two paralegals, Romeo Dela Cruz and Tiffany Muse, pore through and organize endless discovery documents and assist all of the attorneys in multiple ways. Our staff keeps the whole operation going: Marisol Dones (office manager), Josephine Muniz (legal assistant), Barbara Cook (bookkeeper).
WINNING FOR OUR CLIENTS
And finally, our clients: artists and nurses and teachers and musicians and social workers and small business owners and doctors and lawyers and filmmakers and retirees, to name a few. Each is seeking a little bit of justice in a tough city.
We are all ready to take on 2026!!
2025 Appellate Court Wins
Pei-De Tsai v. JCHHBLandlord’s rent claims previously dismissed due to lack of valid certificate of occupancy. Leave to appeal to Court of Appeals denied. Tenants recover use and occupancy payments and attorney’s fees.
Teore v. DHCRDHCR’s decision failing to find evidence of fraudulent deregulation annulled. Matter remanded to DHCR to review entire rent history.
527 W. 48th St. LLC v. StrotzTenant default vacated and case dismissed for failure of landlord to file timely proof of service.
Carrano v. ColonAgreement to treat an apartment “as if” rent-stabilized includes succession rights.
Lower Court and Administrative Agency Wins
862 Union Owner LLC v. Thiers/ThiamLandlord’s claim of deregulation based upon “first rent” rejected. Apartment subject to rent-stabilization.
West, et. al. v. BCRE-90 LLCCourt applies “waiver” rule where landlord failed to preserve the legal rent, making the “preferential” rent the legal rent and imposes rent freeze. Rent-stabilized tenants entitled to overcharges and attorneys fees.
Texiera v. Arthur & DHCRCourt finds flaws in DHCR inspection and sends case back to DHCR where landlord reduced number of apartments from 6 to 5 and claimed building not rent-stabilized.
G&L Realty Delaware LLC v. SchypiorRent-stabilized tenant’s partner may be entitled to succession even though a foreign resident in the country on a long-term visitor’s visa.
Mitchell-Lama Decisions
HPD found that succession claim by daughter who had lived in Mitchell-Lama apartment for 24-years was not barred by private agreement between her divorced parents.
Hardship exception allowed successor in Mitchell-Lama type apartment to remain in his apartment without downsizing.
HG&J is proud to announce that our associate, Daniel Nakos, will be joining us as our newest Partner beginning on January 4, 2026!
Dan, a former merchant mariner, was a staff attorney with The Legal Aid Society for nine years, joining the firm in 2023. He has a deep knowledge of the rent laws and is an experienced and tenacious litigator.
Dan is the face of the future for HG&J and we are all fortunate to have him join us as a Partner.
Himmelstein Gribben
& Joseph LLP
35+ Years
of practice
10,000+ Tenants
Represented Throughout
New York
Millions Of Dollars
Of Overcharges
Recovered
Millions Of Dollars
Of Rent Increases
Blocked
$1.1+ Million in Rent
Refunds
Recovered for Lenox Terrace
Tenants
$8+ Million in Rent
Refunds
Recovered in Clermont J51
Class Action Settlement
Professional – Collaborative – Legally Tough
Tenant-Landlord & Real Estate Attorney Serving New York
Protecting Tenants, Co-op Shareholders & Condo Unit Owners Since 1983
When your home or business is threatened, you need smart, experienced attorneys on your side. You need attorneys who truly care and who have extensive experience protecting people like you. At Himmelstein Gribben & Joseph LLP, you will find a law firm with a singular dedication to protecting tenants.
We advocate on behalf of individual tenants, tenant associations, cooperative shareholders, condominium unit owners and commercial tenants in disputes over evictions, rent increases and overcharges, succession, and other issues.
Commercial Real Estate Disputes Require Experienced Counsel
Business owners may find themselves in a dispute with their commercial landlord over matters such as rent increases, breach of lease, eviction or a notice to cure. Handling these matters on your own while trying to run a business is not advisable. Work with knowledgeable and experienced lawyers who understand how critical a commercial real estate dispute is to your livelihood. We can take the burden and stress off you by resolving your case while you run your business.
I live in a Mitchell-Lama Cooperative and contacted Mr Hershey-Webb because I had been treated unfairly by my Coop Board. He went to work quickly and wrote to the Board…
Susan P.
Jesse Gribben came highly recommended and I was very satisfied with his handling of my Tenant / Landlord situation. His knowledge and experience is first rate. He is also very…
Joseph C.
Serge was a great resource during our lease renewal process. He is incredibly familiar with tenant rights and case law as it relates to rent stabilized tenancy.
Jason D.
We retained this firm to dispute an illegal deregulation and to establish ourselves as rent stabilized tenants. Our lawyer is Ronald Languedoc. We could not be happier with our representation!…
Our experienced team has an impressive record of success with victories that include seminal Court of
Appeals decisions. You will get a firm that brings knowledge and passion to every case.
Local Knowledge & Team Approach
Makes All the Difference
Himmelstein Gribben & Joseph
LLP Is At The Epicenter Of The Everchanging
New York Rent Laws
If you are buying or selling real estate in New York City, you need an attorney you can trust with your home or apartment. We understand that this may be one of the largest transactions you will ever make. Our law firm combines decades of experience with thorough knowledge of the New York real estate market and applicable laws. Let us help take care of your home, condo, or co-op real estate matter, so it goes as smoothly as possible and you are protected.
For more information, or to consult with a lawyer, contact us.
The court held that under the HSTPA of 2019 it was up to tenants to choose whether to bring overcharge cases in Supreme Court or at the DHCR. Landlords had been getting Supreme Court cases dismissed arguing that only DHCR had jurisdiction.
Kuzmich V. 50 Murray Street Acquisition LLC
Tenants Get Rent Stabilized Leases and Rent Refunds
Thousands of downtown apartments were deregulated after Landlords received 421-g tax breaks which required that the apartments remain rent-stabilized. The court found that the deregulations were unlawful and returned the apartments to rent-stabilization, entitling thousands of tenants to rent refunds.
Murphy V. New York State Division Of Housing And Community Renewal V. Southbridge Towers
Lifelong Mitchell-Lama Tenant Gets Succession
Court held that failure to be on the Income Affidavit was not a bar to succession. Overly technical rules should not be a bar to succession where there is an otherwise valid claim.
Sam Himmelstein, our law partner and friend for a collective 100 + years, will be retiring from the firm he helped create, Himmelstein Gribben & Joseph LLP, at the end of May.
Sam is a legend in the tenant and social justice community. For more than 40 years he put his heart into fighting for tenants. He won countless cases, making law, keeping people in their homes, recovering rent overcharges, reducing rents, getting repairs, defending rent regulation. He generously helped hundreds of tenant attorneys and advocates.
Over the years Sam brought in a team of fearless and talented lawyers committed to social justice: Kevin McConnell, Billy Gribben, Liz Donoghue, Serge Joseph, Ronald Languedoc and Jesse Gribben.
Sam hired David Hershey-Webb in 2001 because he needed a lead singer for his band, the Love Handles (Hershey-Webb had also been advocating for tenants since 1985). The Love Handles packed NYC clubs (with an audience in part of clients, tenant attorneys and even landlord attorneys).
Sam is a showman. He was the co-founder of a beloved band and law firm. He’s charismatic and has a flare for the kind of Public Relations, which along with first-rate lawyering, builds a great law firm. We each personally have boundless gratitude for the way in which he has encouraged and supported both our legal careers and personal endeavors.
We are lucky to have worked alongside Sam. We are proud to be able to carry on the work of tenacious tenant advocacy with the best group of tenant lawyers in NYC, our partners and friends, William Gribben, Serge Joseph, Ronald Languedoc, David Hershey-Webb, Jesse Gribben and Cathy Grad, our associates Daniel Nakos and Milad Momeni, our paralegal Nathan Conway, and our dedicated staff, Marisol Dones, Josephine Muniz and Maya Cintron.
Together we’ll continue to get up every day and fight for tenants, homeowners, and the greater public good.
We're now Himmelstein Gribben & Joseph LLP—
formerly Himmelstein McConnell Gribben & Joseph LLP.
Our Entire Firm Is Here For You
Hire us and you don’t get just one attorney – you get a
team of professionals ready to help. Call us at
212-349-3000 or reach us online today to schedule an
appointment.
Schedule A Consultation
One hour consultation $400.00.
We don’t represent landlords and only handle cases in NYC.
HG&J is proud to announce that our associate, Daniel Nakos, will be joining us as our newest Partner beginning on January 4, 2026!
HG&J is proud to announce that our associate, Daniel Nakos, will be joining us as our newest Partner beginning on January 4, 2026!
