NY Landlord Sued for Discriminating Against Married Lesbian Couple of 37 Years

A lesbian couple of 37 years, Dava Weinstein and Dorothy Calvani, is suing their Manhattan landlord for refusing to recognize their marriage on the apartment lease, according to CBS.com.

Weinstein, 68, and Calvani, 63, have lived in their Upper West Side apartment since 1977 and have been legally married since 2011, reports CBS. After Weinstein's initial attempt to add her spouse to the lease, landlord Jacob Weinreb refused to add Calvani as a co-tenant.

"We were totally dumbfounded," Weinstein told WCBS 880 reporter Alex Silverman. Weinreb Management incorrectly told the couple that their marriage was not legally recognized even after legal documents were submitted.

"I felt it was definitely based on the fact that she's a woman. This wasn't fair, wasn't right. It was breaking the law. it certainly looks like just rank discrimination," Weinstein told Silverman.

As a legal protection guaranteed to all married couples, Weinstein wanted to ensure the security of her spouse in the case of her absence. "If something were to happen to me, Dorothy should not have to worry about whether the landlord will try to evict her because she's not on the lease," Weinstein said in a statement.  


Lambda Legal has filed a complaint in New York Supreme Court against Weinreb Management LLC, on behalf of Weinstein and Calvani, asserting that their refusal to add Calvani to the rent-stabilized lease is in direct violation of the New York Rent Stabilization Code and provisions of the New York State and City human rights laws.  

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