B
rusco Management is facing a federal lawsuit over allegations of retaliatory eviction against a transgender tenant. Josephine Tell, the former tenant, claims that REM Residential and Brusco Group took action after she reported being sexually assaulted by a building employee in 2022. The lawsuit accuses management of making false claims, including that Tell was operating an escort business from her apartment, where she owed $52,000 in rent.

    Tell alleges that the landlords' actions created a hostile environment based on sex and gender, violating her rights under the Fair Housing Act. REM's president, Rick Elezi, denies all wrongdoing, citing complaints from other tenants about men waiting in the building who allegedly worked with Tell's escort business. He claims these reports were part of efforts to ensure tenant safety, not driven by discrimination.

    REM also points to an online prostitution advertisement found by one of its employees as evidence against Tell. However, her lawsuit disputes this, arguing that the ad is fake and that REM is trying to discredit her and evict her on prostitution grounds. The NYPD abandoned its investigation due to a lack of prosecution for sex work cases in Manhattan.