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\n Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos: Google Maps, Getty Images\n <\/p>\n
Donna Karan is just like the rest of us. The fashion designer has got a rat infestation, and she is confident her neighbor is the source of the problem. Earlier this year, Karan\u2019s upscale global apparel and crafts brand Urban Zen sued the owner of the empty lot abutting her storefront at 705 Greenwich Street, alleging the site was fueling a rat takeover of her building and disrupting a business where people are perusing $3,500 suede jumpsuits and Hudu vases. On Monday, the owner of the lot at 703 Greenwich Street, William Gottlieb Real Estate, countersued, alleging Urban Zen and the building housing Karan\u2019s store are actually to blame for the vermin scourge. The firm, which was owned by its eccentric<\/a> namesake, William Gottlieb, until his death in 1999<\/a>, at one point counted more than 100 properties in the West Village, Meatpacking District, Chelsea, and the Lower East Side in its portfolio, valued at around $1 billion<\/a>. More recently, it\u2019s been tied up in lawsuits in Kingston, where the company\u2019s current owner and Gottlieb\u2019s nephew, Neil Bender, has been on an acquisition tear. As it turns out, rat complaints have come up before<\/a>\u00a0for the firm.<\/p>\n According to a Manhattan Supreme Court complaint filed<\/a> by Urban Zen in June, the Greenwich Street rat infestation can be traced back to a downed tree at 703 Greenwich in 2024. The complaint argues that the partial stump that was left behind after the tree was cleared, together with construction debris and other materials, created \u201cburrowing channels\u201d that allowed the rats to get inside No. 705, where Karan\u2019s store is located. A dumpster left on the lot for construction debris from nearby properties was also getting filled up with food waste and household garbage, which provided shelter and a never-ending feast for the rats. Ever since, the store\u2019s unwanted occupants have caused \u201creputational harm, loss of clientele, and financial damage,\u201d per Karan\u2019s complaint. Rats were seen gathering on a terrace that\u2019s used for commercial events, and their presence has caused Urban Zen to cancel or limit gatherings. The infestation is apparently so bad that staff have said they\u2019re concerned for their safety. \u201cEvery employee, client, guest, and member of the public who enters the premises is at risk,\u201d the company alleged in court records, noting that the vermin carry diseases like hantavirus. (Per the complaint, neighbors who live behind 703 also have video recordings of the rats and have complained that the scurrying and squeaks are disrupting their sleep.)<\/p>\n William Gottlieb Real Estate disputed<\/a> the allegations that its site was the sole source of the rat problem back in June. Now the firm has filed<\/a> its own lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court, claiming that the conditions next door have created the rodent frenzy on both properties and a public-health concern. In its complaint, the real-estate firm points out that Urban Zen\u2019s own lawsuit from June, alleging that rats are nesting in the cavities and holes of its Federal-style building from 1828,\u00a0is evidence against them. \u201cDefendants cannot reasonably maintain that the 703 Property is the sole source of a neighborhood rodent condition while simultaneously acknowledging that rats are living inside their own building, including within its wall cavities and structural voids,\u201d the complaint reads. William Gottlieb\u2019s suit also notes that Urban Zen hosts catered gatherings that generate food garbage, therefore creating fodder for the rats. \u201cNo property owner, tenant, or member of the public should be forced to contend with such conditions in one of our beloved neighborhoods,\u201d a spokesperson for the developer tells me.<\/p>\n But Bender\u2019s firm doesn\u2019t stop there. It also charges\u00a0 No. 705 with being structurally and environmentally unsafe, complaining that the wall bordering its lot is unstable, and that the building may contain \u201chazardous\u201d materials such as asbestos or lead paint from updates done over the past two centuries. It also alleges that water runoff from No. 705 has caused or exacerbated lead contamination in its empty lot. Together, these unknowns have put the developer in a bind when it comes to moving forward with construction on the site. \u201cPlaintiff owns a valuable Manhattan development parcel but cannot safely make full use of it until the adjoining building and materials entering from that building have been professionally assessed and, where necessary, stabilized and remediated,\u201d the complaint reads.<\/p>\n Natraj S. Bhushan, an attorney for Karan and the building, tells me Bender\u2019s lawsuit is \u201cpure fiction and classic gaslighting\u201d meant to distract from the neglect at 703. He claimed that pond surface runoff from the lot had seeped into the foundation at No. 705 and damaged the property, but instead of coordinating access to the lot for necessary repairs, the developer has alleged \u201cunsubstantiated\u201d environmental hazards in Karan\u2019s building, including \u201ccomplete fabrications\u201d about asbestos and lead. \u201cThe real hazard to this neighborhood has always been 703\u2019s neglected lot,\u201d he says, \u201cand we will continue to push forward with our legal remedies to hold them accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign Up for the Curbed Newsletter<\/p>\n A daily mix of stories about cities, city life, and our always evolving neighborhoods and skylines.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n