The man who wants to build a mosque near Ground Zero better first address the rats, bed bugs, and lack of heat in his existing properties, alleges a lawsuit filed Monday against Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf.
Union City, N.J., is suing Rauf for failing to respond to tenant complaints at two buildings he owns.
“From 1996 to 2010, the city responded to no less than thirty complaints from tenants predicated upon various health and safety concerns, including lack of heat, mold inside apartments, garbage issues, bed bugs, foul odors, dirty hallways and the lack of utilities/heat,” reads the suit. Rauf’s tenants say they live daily with rats.
Paola Leiba said a water leak from a unit above hers has created a hole in her shower that has gone unrepaired for eight months, despite complaints.
Daisy Khan, Rauf’s wife, said they handled all complaints, but Union City said they went ignored.
Mark Albiez, a spokesman for the city, said the lawsuit was not connected to Rauf’s controversial mosque plan.
