Dear Cyndi Lauper, I still love you, BUT GET REAL!

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Cyndi Lauper loses bid to reduce rent on her Manhattan apartment
By Mark Johnson
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Cyndi Lauper has lost her bid to have the rent on her Manhattan apartment cut nearly in half.
On Thursday, the state Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that set Lauper’s rent at nearly $1,000 US a month.
Lauper and her husband, actor David Thornton, sued the owners of their luxury apartment building, claiming they were cheated out of thousands of dollars in a scheme to end rent stabilization for their residence.
In 1992, 390 West End Associates entered into a lease with Shlomo Baron for an apartment in the Apthorp building. While the prior tenant paid just $508 US monthly for the apartment, Baron agreed to pay $2,400 US a month under an agreement that he wouldn’t use the dwelling as his primary residence. Baron then sublet the apartment to the couple for $3,250 US a month.
In 1996, the Thorntons sued Baron, seeking to recover what they paid in excess of the legal stabilized rent plus damages. They later sued 390 West End, seeking to have their rent reduced to the stabilized price of $508 US a month.
The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Thorntons except for the manner of determining rent. The court used a default formula adopted by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal to determine the rent should be set at $989 US a month.
The Court of Appeals upheld that ruling in a 5-2 decision.
Lauper, 52, is best known for her 1980s hits Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time and I Drove All Night.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 30 June 2005 18:48 (twenty years ago)

Money changes everything.

― Another Allnighter (sexyDancer), Thursday, 30 June 2005 18:50 (twenty years ago)

LOCK THREAD

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 30 June 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

If I understand this correctly, though, this was a scam. Do we know if Cyndi planned to keep the balance?

― J (Jay), Thursday, 30 June 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

But they scored a $1000/month LUXURY apt. in Manhattan and they want to pay less???

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 30 June 2005 18:55 (twenty years ago)

Hmm. I'm not sure I understand this then.

― J (Jay), Thursday, 30 June 2005 18:58 (twenty years ago)

I was presuming that the award would be retroactive, and that they were trying to recover money damages, not a fixed rent.

― J (Jay), Thursday, 30 June 2005 18:59 (twenty years ago)

I've been trying to figure out if it's a really small luxury apartment or if it's just in the worst neighborhood in the country.

― geyser muffler and a quarter (Dave225), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:00 (twenty years ago)

It's confusing.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

It's rent-stablized. The original tenant probably lived there for 30 years or so. Example: My roommate and I pay $1575 for my 3-br apartment and my neighbor since he's been there for about 25 years pays $685 or something as ridiculous.

― Candicissima (candicissima), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)

it was poorly worded. i think they were paying $3,000-something a month when the landlord was paying only $2,000-something, so the DIFFERENCE between the two is $1,000 a month

― matlewis, Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)

wait, nevermind. i think i'm wrong.

― matlewis, Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)

But, I reread and see that I'm wrong: While the prior tenant paid just $508 US monthly for the apartment, Baron agreed to pay $2,400 US a month under an agreement that he wouldn’t use the dwelling as his primary residence. Baron then sublet the apartment to the couple for $3,250 US a month.

― Candicissima (candicissima), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:04 (twenty years ago)

If i ever needed an alias, I would choose Shlomo Baron.

― -rainbow bum- (-rainbow bum-), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:08 (twenty years ago)

xpost
no no, WE'RE BOTH WRONG
They later sued 390 West End, seeking to have their rent reduced to the stabilized price of $508 US a month.
So Cyndi Lauper DOES need to get real. I pay more than that for a room in a basement in College Park, MD

― matlewis, Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:09 (twenty years ago)

Basically, they got their rent reduced from over $3000 to just under $1000 and they're *complaining* about it?!??!

Get real, indeed.

― MIS Information (kate), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:11 (twenty years ago)

See. I'm not crazy.
I had to read the article about 3 times before I figured it out. Nevermind who the hell "The Thorntons" were.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

Shlomo "Robber" Baron

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:15 (twenty years ago)

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/jmo1843l.jpg

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:16 (twenty years ago)

Shlomo Baron Cohen

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:17 (twenty years ago)

Shlomo Baron "von Trapp"

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:19 (twenty years ago)

I think I'm gonna cover "True Colors" in a bid to win my stabilization fight.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:36 (twenty years ago)

I want to change my name to Shlomo Baron.

― Leon C. (Ex Leon), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:41 (twenty years ago)

Lauper, 52, is best known for her 1980s hits Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time and I Drove All Night.

Oh, right. I was wondering why this was newsworthy.

― shanecavanaugh (shanecavanaugh), Thursday, 30 June 2005 19:45 (twenty years ago)

http://www.associatedentertainment.com/aec/images/main/Cyndi-Lauper.jpg

― Sasha (sgh), Friday, 1 July 2005 02:10 (twenty years ago)

perhaps later i will tell you of the time i was cornered by cyndi lauper in an elevator.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Friday, 1 July 2005 03:18 (twenty years ago)

For a second I read that as 'conceived'

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 1 July 2005 03:25 (twenty years ago)

about The Apthorp and its role as a "microcosm of all that is bizarre in New York real estate"

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Friday, 1 July 2005 03:39 (twenty years ago)

Presumably it's people on lower incomes for whom this matters most. It would have been nice to get some statistics about whether it takes NINE YEARS to adjudicate these things, on average. I guess that's not fucking important.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 1 July 2005 05:11 (twenty years ago)

Someone should set up a bakesale in front of her building to raise money to help her pay rent.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Friday, 1 July 2005 05:18 (twenty years ago)

I don't see the problem here. If the apartment is supposed to be rent stablized and some asshole is scamming them out of the difference, why shouldn't they fight back? It sounds like they won (at least halfway) anyway. Instead of $3250 they're paying $989. And rent control shouldn't have anything to do with ability to pay. Low income housing is (or at least should be) something completely different than rent control.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 1 July 2005 06:11 (twenty years ago)

Fucking hell, I pay more for my apartment in Melbourne than Lauper does for hers in fucking NYC. Theres something wrong here.

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 1 July 2005 06:51 (twenty years ago)

Maria Tessa, I'm not sure about now, but there were times when I'd have paid good money to be cornered by Cyndi Lauper in an elevator. I am envious.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 1 July 2005 09:57 (twenty years ago)

Please tell elevator story now kay thanks bye.

― Flyboy (Flyboy), Friday, 1 July 2005 10:19 (twenty years ago)

They agreed to pay $3250, though. Not sure how they can sue, but they can. Shit's fucke dup.

Also, Cyndi Lauper, 52?? God, is she really?

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 1 July 2005 10:31 (twenty years ago)

She was already in her late 20s/early 30s during her 80s success. Hey! So maybe there's hope for me yet...

― MIS Information (kate), Friday, 1 July 2005 10:37 (twenty years ago)

get one mortgage

― Lupton Pitman (Chris V), Friday, 1 July 2005 11:18 (twenty years ago)

>It would have been nice to get some statistics about whether it takes NINE YEARS to adjudicate these things<

I hope so; I'll probably be ready to leave NYC by then...

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 1 July 2005 12:25 (twenty years ago)

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