22 Elderly Plaintiffs File Suit Accusing Landlord Of Unconscionably Jacking Up Rents To Drive Them Out Of Their Homes & Give Complex A More Youthful Appearance

In Greenwich, Connecticut, Greenwich Time.com reports:

• Dogged for years by complaints of onerous rent hikes, a revolving door of owners and disruptive construction, a Glenville apartment complex now faces a legal battle over how much it charges its renters.
  
  More than 20 residents of Greenwich Oaks are suing the property's parent company, alleging it has attempted to levy excessive rent increases against some tenants. The suit was filed against Greenwich Oaks, the management or owner of the apartments on Weaver Street, according to a complaint submitted at state Superior Court in Norwalk in August 2012.
  
  The complaint document claims "the defendant has attempted to raise the rent of each of the plaintiffs by an amount which exceeds that which is fair and equitable," based on state law.
  
  "The defendant is attempting to raise the rents of each plaintiff to unconscionable levels in order to force the plaintiffs to vacate their apartments and create a more youthful appear in the rental complex," the document states.
  
  Tenants complained of age discrimination several years ago, when an ill-fated condominium conversion by a Greenwich-based real estate developer collapsed after the complex's mostly elderly residents claimed they were being strong-armed out of their apartments to make way for a younger clientele.

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• [2]2 plaintiffs were listed on the suit, which is seeking over $15,000 in damages in addition to the fair market value determination. Included in the document is a complaint that the company said residents would be charged $250 if they failed to sign their leases.
  
  "As persons over the age of sixty two the plaintiffs are not required by law to sign new leases and therefore may not be charged a $250 penalty for not signing said leases," the document indicates. "Said leases are therefore void as contracts of adhesion and are further void as being entered into through deception and misrepresentation."
  
  The acts of the defendant are unfair or deceptive under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act,(1) the lawsuit alleges.

For more, see Lawsuit alleges unfair apartment rent hikes.

(1) The Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act is Connecticut's version of the state laws that prohibit unfair and deceptive acts and practices in trade and commerce (commonly known as state UDAP statutes).

For more on UDAP statutes across the U.S., see Consumer Protection In The States: A 50-State Report on Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices Statutes.