Article 1 - ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS IN GENERAL

Section 27-2110

Section 27-2110

  §  27-2110 Style of legal actions by department; disposition of moneys
collected. a. All actions or proceedings instituted to recover penalties
imposed  by  this  code,  or  to  recover  any   costs,   expenses   and
disbursements   incurred   by   the   department   for   the  repair  or
rehabilitation of a dwelling that are reimbursable under the  provisions
of  this  code,  shall  be  brought in the name of the department by the
corporation counsel.
  b. All moneys recovered under this section shall be paid to  the  city
officer  who brings such actions and proceedings. Such officer shall pay
the moneys to the commissioner of finance each month.  The  officer,  on
the  first  of  each  month,  shall  report  to  the commissioner of the
department on the amount collected under this section, if any,  and  the
necessary  disbursements incurred in the prosecution of such actions and
proceedings, if any.

Section 27-2111

Section 27-2111

  §  27-2111  Moneys  collected  by department payable to special repair
fund.  All penalties and all other moneys recovered for costs,  expenses
and  disbursements  that are reimbursable under this code for the repair
or rehabilitation of a dwelling shall be paid into a  separate  fund  in
the treasury of the city. Such fund shall be available to the department
for the purpose of meeting the costs, expenses and disbursements for the
repair or rehabilitation of dwellings pursuant to the provisions of this
code.

Section 27-2112

Section 27-2112

  §  27-2112 Liability of the department for costs. Neither the city nor
the department nor any officer or employee thereof shall be  liable  for
costs in any action or proceeding brought under this code.

Section 27-2113

Section 27-2113

  § 27-2113 Notice of pendency of action. a. In any action or proceeding
brought  by  the  department,  it  may  file a notice of pendency in the
county clerk's office in the county where the premises affected  by  the
action or proceeding are located. The department may file such notice at
any  time after it serves the notice of violation or order to repair, or
at the  time  it  commences  the  action  or  proceeding,  or  any  time
thereafter, before final judgment or order.
  b.  The  corporation counsel shall designate in writing on such notice
of pendency the name of each person against whom the notice is filed and
the number of each block on the land map of the county which is affected
by the notice. The county clerk in whose office a notice of pendency  is
filed  shall  record  and index such notice against the names and blocks
designated.
  c. A notice of pendency may be vacated by order  of  a  judge  of  the
court  where  such action or proceeding was brought or is pending, or by
the written consent of the corporation counsel. The clerk of the  county
where  such notice is filed shall cancel the notice upon receipt of such
written consent or a certified copy of such order.

Section 27-2114

Section 27-2114

  §  27-2114  Responsibility  of  stockholders  of  corporations  owning
multiple dwellings declared nuisances. a. The term "nuisance"  shall  be
held  to  embrace  public  nuisance  as known at common law or in equity
jurisprudence. Whatever is dangerous to human  life  or  detrimental  to
health,  and  whatever  dwelling is overcrowded with occupants or is not
provided  with  adequate  ingress  or  egress  or  is  not  sufficiently
supported, ventilated, sewered, drained, cleaned or lighted in reference
to  its  intended  or  actual use, and whatever renders the air or human
food or drink unwholesome, are also severally, in contemplation of  this
section, nuisances. All such nuisances are unlawful.
  b.  Whenever  the department shall certify that any multiple dwelling,
or any part of  its  premises,  or  the  plumbing,  sewerage,  drainage,
lighting  or  ventilation  thereof,  is  in  a  condition  or  in effect
dangerous to life or detrimental to health, the  department  may,  after
giving  notice  to the owner and an opportunity to be heard at a hearing
held for such purpose, declare the same, to the extent it may specify, a
public  nuisance.  Such  declaration  shall  be  filed  in  the  central
violation  bureau  as  provided by section three hundred twenty-eight of
the multiple dwelling law, if applicable, or as a public record  in  the
department.  The  officers  of  a  corporation upon which notice of such
hearing has been served, other than a banking organization as defined in
section two of the  banking  law,  a  national  banking  association,  a
federal   savings   and   loan   association,  the  mortgage  facilities
corporation, savings  banks  life  insurance  fund,  the  savings  banks
retirement  system,  an  authorized  insurer  as  defined in section one
hundred seven of  the  insurance  law,  or  a  trust  company  or  other
corporation organized under the laws of this state all the capital stock
of which is owned by at least twenty savings banks or by at least twenty
savings  and  loan  associations  or a subsidiary corporation all of the
capital stock  of  which  is  owned  by  such  trust  company  or  other
corporation, shall serve similar notice on all stockholders of record of
the corporation and other persons known to be stockholders or beneficial
owners  of  the  stock  of the corporation. A stockholder upon whom such
notice has been served shall  serve  similar  notice  upon  any  persons
holding a beneficial interest in such stockholder's stock.
  c.  The department may order such nuisance to be removed in accordance
with the provisions of article five of this subchapter, and if any order
of the department is not complied  with,  then,  as  an  alternative  to
proceeding  under  the provisions of article five of this subchapter, if
the multiple dwelling involved shall have been declared to be  a  public
nuisance pursuant to subdivision b of this section, and such declaration
shall  have been filed as therein provided, the department or a receiver
appointed pursuant to article six of this subchapter  or  section  three
hundred nine of the multiple dwelling law or any tenant of such multiple
dwelling may institute and maintain an action in the supreme court or in
the  housing  part  of the New York city civil court in the county where
the multiple dwelling is located against any owner or owners to whom the
order was issued pursuant to section 27-2125 of  article  five  of  this
subchapter  for  an order compelling such owner or owners to comply with
the department's order and, if such action be brought by  such  receiver
or  tenant,  for  payment  of  the costs and disbursements of the action
including legal fees. Except as owners may have  otherwise  agreed,  any
owner  who  removes or remedies the nuisance in compliance with an order
of the department or court shall be entitled to recover a  proportionate
share  of  the total expense of such compliance from all other owners to
whom the department's order was issued or to whom such owner sent a copy
of the department's order within thirty  days  of  receipt  of  same  by
registered mail.

  d.  Whenever  a  multiple  dwelling  shall have been declared a public
nuisance to any extent pursuant to subdivision b  of  this  section  and
such  declaration  shall  have  been filed as therein provided, the term
"owner" shall be deemed to include, in addition to persons mentioned  in
the definition of the term in section four of the multiple dwelling law,
all  the officers, directors and persons having an interest in more than
ten percent of the issued and outstanding stock of the owner  as  herein
defined,  as  holder  or  beneficial  owner  thereof, if such owner be a
corporation other than a banking organization as defined in section  two
of  the  banking  law, a national banking association, a federal savings
and loan association, the mortgage facilities corporation, savings banks
life insurance fund, the savings banks retirement system, an  authorized
insurer as defined in section one hundred seven of the insurance law, or
a  trust  company  or other corporation organized under the laws of this
state all the capital stock of which is owned by at least twenty savings
banks or  by  at  least  twenty  savings  and  loan  associations  or  a
subsidiary  corporation  all  of  the capital stock of which is owned by
such trust company or other corporation, and thereupon  any  corporation
which  is included in the term "owner" as provided in this subdivision d
shall file an additional statement of registration within ten days which
shall contain the name  and  residence  and  business  address  of  each
director  and stockholder of the corporation and of each person known to
have any beneficial interest in such stock.
  e. Whenever a multiple dwelling shall  have  been  declared  a  public
nuisance  to  any  extent pursuant to subdivision b of this section, and
such  declaration  shall  have  been  filed  as  therein  provided,  all
officers,  directors  and  persons  having  an  interest,  as  holder or
beneficial owner thereof, in more than ten percent  of  the  issued  and
outstanding  stock  of any corporation other than a banking organization
as defined in section  two  of  the  banking  law,  a  national  banking
association,  a  federal  savings  and  loan  association,  the mortgage
facilities corporation, savings banks life insurance fund,  the  savings
banks retirement system, an authorized insurer as defined in section one
hundred  seven  of  the  insurance  law,  or  a  trust  company or other
corporation organized under the laws of this state all the capital stock
of which is owned by at least twenty savings banks or by at least twenty
savings and loan associations or a subsidiary  corporation  all  of  the
capital  stock  of  which  is  owned  by  such  trust  company  or other
corporation, then in operation and control of  such  multiple  dwelling,
shall,  in  addition  to all other liabilities and penalties provided in
this code and elsewhere, be jointly and severally liable for all  injury
to  person  or  property  thereafter  sustained  by  any  tenant of such
multiple dwelling or  any  other  person  by  reason  of  the  condition
constituting  such  public  nuisance and for all costs and disbursements
including attorney's fees of any suit brought by such  tenant  or  other
person.
  f.  No  civil  or  criminal  liability  or penalty shall attach to any
person by reason of such person's ownership or beneficial  ownership  of
stock  in  a  corporation  owning  a  multiple dwelling declared to be a
public nuisance pursuant to subdivision b of this section because of his
or her failure to comply with any of the provisions of this code,  whose
interest  in  such  corporation is less than twenty-five per cent of the
issued and outstanding stock  thereof,  as  owner  or  beneficial  owner
thereof,  and who has sustained the burden of proving that he or she has
not participated directly or indirectly in the management, operation  or
control of such multiple dwelling.
  g.  No  civil  or  criminal  liability  or penalty shall attach to any
person by reason of such person's ownership or beneficial  ownership  of

stock  in  a  corporation  owning  a  multiple dwelling declared to be a
public nuisance pursuant to subdivision b of this section because of his
or her failure to comply with any of the provisions of this code  unless
and  until  such  person  has  had a reasonable period of time to comply
following his or her having become an owner as defined in this code.
  h. No civil or criminal liability  or  penalty  shall  attach  to  any
person  who  shall  by  operation  of  law become an owner of a multiple
dwelling then or thereafter certified and declared a public nuisance  to
any  extent  pursuant to subdivision b of this section, or the holder or
beneficial owner of stock in such owner, if a  corporation,  because  of
his or her failure to comply with any of the provisions of this code and
of  the multiple dwelling law for a period of six months after he or she
acquired ownership of said multiple dwelling or the stock or  beneficial
interest in the stock of a corporation which is the owner.