Penalty Amount
$352,250
Consumers Affected
300
New York Attorney General Letitia James settled with Brooklyn High Rise LLC for illegally denying housing to prospective tenants based on housing court records, a practice known as tenant blacklisting. The company also charged non-refundable 'good faith' deposits. Brooklyn High Rise will pay $352,250 in penalties and restitution and must end its unlawful tenant screening practices.
Brooklyn High Rise must pay $202,250 in penalties and $150,000 in restitution to affected applicants. It must end its practice of seeking housing court records, remove court history and criminal background questions from rental applications, train staff on fair housing laws, and publicly affirm compliance with tenant blacklisting laws. Applicants who were denied or withdrew between January 2020 and December 2025 can file claims for $500 or $750.
In-house legal teams at property management and real estate firms should review their vendor agreements with tenant screening bureaus to ensure they do not include provisions that allow the use of housing court records in screening decisions. They should also update rental application forms and leasing agent training materials to remove any questions about court history or criminal background. Additionally, they should review their deposit handling policies and procedures to ensure compliance with state laws regarding 'good faith' deposits, including timely refunds. Contracts with property owners and management companies should include clauses requiring compliance with fair housing and tenant blacklisting laws, and indemnification for violations.
Entity
Brooklyn High Rise LLC
Industry
Real EstateOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-stops-brooklyn-real-estate-firm-illegally-blacklisting
brooklyn high rise llc aod 2026
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/settlements-agreements/brooklyn-high-rise-llc-aod-2026.pdf
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"Brooklyn High Rise LLC"
"pay $352,250 in penalties and restitution"
"New York Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA)"
"Real Property Law"
"illegally denying housing to prospective tenants based on housing court records"
"illegally charged applicants deposit fees to hold an apartment during the application process"
$500K
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a settlement with Bloomberg L.P. after finding that Bloomberg News failed to clearly disclose subscription price increases and automatic renewals, provide required acknowledgments and renewal notices, and make cancellation sufficiently easy. Bloomberg must pay $500,000 in penalties, provide refunds to eligible subscribers, and improve its subscription disclosures and practices.
$220.0M
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition secured a $220 million settlement from General Motors LLC for selling drivers’ personal driving and location data to data brokers without adequate disclosure or consent. GM must limit the driving data it collects and implement privacy assessments and dealership oversight and training.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 24 other states and the District of Columbia challenged a federal rule imposing additional proof requirements on some medically frail Medicaid recipients. The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted summary judgment, declaring a central provision of the rule illegal and blocking it.
$24K
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a settlement with Frank W. Cawood & Associates, Inc. over mailers that advertised books as free or no-risk while obscuring payment and return terms. The company must end the program in New York, pay $23,500, and provide refunds to eligible consumers.
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert about fire risks from e-bike and other lithium-ion batteries and shared safety and disposal recommendations. The release describes no privacy enforcement action, monetary penalty, or remedy.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and 20 other attorneys general sued to block a Treasury Department rule that exempts domestic companies and U.S. owners of foreign companies from Corporate Transparency Act ownership disclosures. The coalition alleges the rule is unlawful and unconstitutional, including because Treasury plans to delete information collected from companies now exempted, and seeks a court order blocking its implementation.