New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against River Valley Estates, LLC, a mobile home park in Sullivan County. The lawsuit targets the park's operators, George Levin and Gayla Sue Levin, for allegedly failing to maintain essential infrastructure and charging illegal fees and rent increases. These actions reportedly left residents without clean water and resulted in additional costs amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The lawsuit claims that River Valley Estates violated New York laws intended to safeguard tenant health and safety. Residents have faced issues such as raw sewage overflow, regular water outages, polluted water, and other unsafe conditions. "River Valley residents have suffered for years in dangerous and unsanitary conditions," stated Attorney General James. She added that residents were also subjected to illegal fees and rent hikes despite inadequate living conditions.
Since 2017, over 200 residents have reportedly endured hazardous conditions due to the park's failure to maintain its water systems. Residents describe the water as "putrid" with an oily film on top. A boil water order has been in place since June 2024. The lawsuit alleges inconsistent notification about these orders led some residents to become ill from drinking polluted water.
In addition to poor water management, the lawsuit claims River Valley failed to address other maintenance issues like road safety during winter months and inadequate lighting at night. Residents were also charged illegal transaction fees when paying rent by card and imposed garbage fees without proper notice.
Assemblymember Aileen Gunther expressed support for the legal action: “For years, the living conditions at River Valley Estates have been completely unacceptable.” Town of Fallsburg Councilman Nathan Steingart echoed this sentiment: “The residents have suffered... These are basic human rights.”
Attorney General James seeks a court order requiring necessary repairs at River Valley Estates including improvements to its water distribution system, septic systems, lighting, roads, elimination of hazards like dilapidated properties, as well as correcting violations cited by local authorities. Additionally, she is pursuing $2.3 million in restitution for affected tenants along with civil penalties up to $295,000.
This case represents another effort by Attorney General James to protect low-income renters from unsafe housing practices across New York State.