A
Manhattan judge has dealt a significant blow to real estate mogul Aby Rosen, ordering him to pay $21 million in back rent to Cooper Union for the Chrysler Building leasehold. The school had previously evicted Rosen's company RFR from the iconic Art-Deco skyscraper after terminating their long-term lease.

    Rosen had sued Cooper Union, claiming they didn't follow proper procedure when issuing the eviction notice. However, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Schecter dismissed his defense as "flimsy" and barred him from interfering in Cooper Union's management of the property.

    Cooper Union VP John Ruth hailed the ruling as a victory for the school, stating that Rosen and his partners had presented no viable defenses to the lease termination. The judge also noted that RFR was $21 million in arrears on their ground rent payments.

    Rosen's company bought the 1 million square-foot leasehold in 2018 for $151 million, but the price was low due to the ground lease, which has increased significantly since then. Despite being about 60% leased, Rosen claimed that office tenants were fleeing due to alleged harassment of Jewish students by a "mob" following the October terrorist attack on Israel.

    However, the judge ruled that a landlord's actions at another property had no bearing on a tenant's obligation to pay rent. An RFR spokesperson described their removal from the building as "temporary," but it remains unclear whether Rosen will appeal the ruling.