An interior designer’s family and a bankrupt former property manager each laid claim to a $2 million home in an upscale New York City suburb, many with squatters living down the street. I didn’t know that.
A sign on the door of the house read: “Under no circumstances will Mr. and Mrs. Landa, or anyone acting on their behalf, consent to enter my residence.” “I refuse any requests for contact with the Landa family. Any contact will be construed as harassment. Please forward all communications to my lawyer, Denis O’Sullivan, whose contact details are listed below. Thank you very much.”
The Landa family, who live in Douglaston, bought the house next door for $2 million, hoping to have their sons live there and help care for their younger brother, who has Down syndrome, especially after their parents died, according to a post on Zillow. It is said that it was. According to ABC7.
The Landas own J.C. Landa Interiors, which has worked with “many high-end homes and corporate offices around the country,” including curtains in the Obama administration-era White House, according to a Facebook post. expressed his gratitude. It gave the Obamas the opportunity to “serve the White House for the past eight years.”
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Douglaston homes can cost millions of dollars, and security companies monitor the neighborhood and respond to residents’ concerns. The area is located along the train line, providing quick and direct access to Manhattan, making it an attractive asset for those looking to commute to work.
However, this house had a unique problem. If a tenant did not want to leave and had been living there for a year, they would first assert the squatter’s rights, and then the squatter’s rights would be asserted. file for bankruptcy The family’s attorney invoked a stay of action, arguing that he intended to protect him from lawsuits while keeping the home safe from Landa family ownership.
Brett Flores, a 32-year-old nurse, lived in the home as part of her caregiving duties for former owner Bernando Fernandez, who eventually died on January 12, 2023, at the age of 80. died in He claimed he paid $3,000 a month in service fees and that Mr. Fernandez allowed him to stay, but he could not provide supporting evidence.
On Thursday, February 29, 2024, a note addressed to representatives of homeowners Joseph and Susana Landa was seen taped to the front door of their property in Douglaston, New York. It will be done. Brett Flores had been squatting inside the house since the previous owner passed away in January 2023. (Fox News Digital Probe Media)
Anthony Mordente, the Landa family’s attorney, told Fox News Digital: “We are in the process of getting the automatic bankruptcy lifted so we can go back to court and proceed with the case.” Ta. “I think we will be successful. I see no reason for the bankruptcy judge to continue the stay.”
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”[The house] It’s not part of his bankruptcy estate because he doesn’t have a 10-year lease to stay here. So if you don’t have a rental agreement or an agreement to stay, the bankruptcy judge will say, “Oh, no. As for ‘What the heck is this?'” Mordente said.
Mordente, who was the first to represent Fernandez’s nephew, said Flores and his attorney had not yet produced any recordings or supporting documents of the allegations by the end of February. The nephew eventually moved on from the situation and sold his home to the Landa family in October 2023, at which point the family assumed the task of evicting Mr. Flores.
“They bought it on the condition that he was present on the premises, continuing the previous action started by his nephew as owner under trust, and putting himself in the shoes of the former owner, so to speak,” Mordente said. Mr. Landa requested that the case continue.
The exterior of Joseph and Susana Landa’s home in Douglaston, New York, on Thursday, February 29, 2024. Brett Flores has been squatting inside the mansion since the previous owner passed away in January 2023. (Fox News Digital Probe Media)
Mordente rejected the idea that Flores had any basis for possession as a proper tenant or as a squatter. New York state law defines squatter A person is considered to have lived in the property for 30 days, at which point the owner must prove his or her claim to the property and proceed with the judicial eviction process.
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Mordente said: “Technically speaking, a squatter is someone who trespasses on real property, and they are not a squatter in the legal sense because they are trespassing without the employer’s permission.” ” he said. “In my opinion, he has no exclusive interest in that space because his employment terminated upon the death of his employer.”
Flores has now appeared in court nine times, more than half of them since the Landa family bought the house. Fox News Digital has learned that Flores demanded a large sum of money (“in excess of $100,000,” according to Mordente) to vacate his property, but that his family refused to pay. Ta.
Mr. O’Sullivan, Mr. Flores’ attorney, would not comment on the claim that Mr. Flores had offered to leave the house if he paid money, but said his family was using intimidation tactics to try to force him out of the home. stated that it was the client’s position. Mr. Mordente denied that the Landa family made any kind of threat.
A surveillance camera is seen mounted on the roof of Joseph and Susana Landa’s home on Thursday, February 29, 2024, in Douglaston, New York. Brett Flores has been squatting inside the mansion since the previous owner passed away in January 2023. (Fox News Digital Probe Media)
Flores did not respond when Fox News Digital knocked on the door to the property. An inspection of the home revealed multiple security cameras around the property, some of which had been covered in paint. The lawn and backyard seating were completely torn up. Mordente claimed the family broke up with Flores after he clogged the pipes and caused sewage to back up.
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Photos of the house on Google Maps Street View show it in its original condition with a lush lawn and many bushes along the sidewalk, all of which are gone.
An interior view of Joseph and Susana Landa’s home in Douglaston, New York, on Thursday, February 29, 2024. Brett Flores has been squatting inside the mansion since the previous owner passed away in January 2023. (Fox News Digital Probe Media)
A security guard who arrived on the street as journalists and photographers were in the area said he had “no comment” on the situation between Flores and the Landas, but FOX News Digital spoke to local officials who provided the information. I heard. More information.
Most surprisingly, many residents did not seem to know that Flores was not the owner of the house, but was living there as a potential squatter. “I can’t believe something like this could happen in such an affluent area,” said one patron at a church within walking distance of his home.
An interior view of Joseph and Susana Landa’s home on Thursday, February 29, 2024, in Douglaston, New York. Brett Flores has been squatting inside the mansion since the previous owner passed away in January 2023. (Fox News Digital Probe Media)
But one person, who asked to remain anonymous, said he saw another person inside the house. Mordente acknowledged that his clients had seen several people in the home, including a couple, various women and “gentlemen,” but said the Landas were all “not appropriate here.”
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According to reports, Flores posted on multiple rental sites (all of which have now been deleted) advertising individual rooms such as the “Prince Room” and charging $50 a night. new york post.
Mr O’Sullivan said he would provide further comment on Friday following the increased media attention to the incident.
