A pair of alleged squatters, who used a Shake Shack receipt to prove their residency to occupy a $930,000 home in Queens, New York, have abandoned suing the lawful owners after refusing to leave the property for months.
“It was discontinued. Discontinued by them,” attorney Rizpah Morrow said following the hearing in New York on Friday. “And it seemed to be that they did that because, apparently, their case was not very good. Their evidence was not very good.”
Morrow said that the conclusion of the Shake Shack squatter incident seemed like a “real abuse” of the court system.
“And it seems like a real abuse of this court process when there were so many tenants out there who need court intervention,” Morrow said. “And I think we would have preferred to have a little bit more court intervention than we got because the judge just let them discontinue the case without any terms or conditions.”
ALLEGED SQUATTERS PULL SHAKE SHACK RECEIPT AS PROOF THEY LEGALLY OCCUPY WOMAN’S $930,000 HOME
Top Nest Properties broker Ejona Bardhi Shyti first discovered two squatters, identified as Lance Hunt Jr. and Rondie L. Francis, in March residing in a Queens property that she manages for owners, Juliya Fulman and her husband Denis Kurlyand.
Seeking ‘full justice’
Fulman bought the Queens property several years ago through an LLC, Lakewood Queens Property, and invested $530,000 in it.
She said Friday that she does not feel like she has the “full justice in this case.”
“I still don’t feel like I have the full justice in this case, because these are people that broke into my house, and they claim to have some property there,” Fulman said.
The property, located in the Jamaica neighborhood, is listed for nearly $930,000, according to Zillow.
The homeowner said that squatting rights goes against the American dream of owning a home.
“And lawmakers at the forefront have to have a really strong voice on this and not let these squatters win,” Fulman said. “That’s not the American dream.”
That’s not the American dream.
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“We work hard, and we purchased a home,” she said. “We want our families to live in safety and peace and all these loose loopholes that the squatters are finding, and the laws. This does not align with the so-called American dream.”
“There needs to be stringent laws attached to this,” she added. “What kind of example are we setting?”
Two alleged squatters are suing to claim they have legal rights to occupy a New York property in Queens. They provided a Shake Shack receipt among other documentation to prove their legal residency. (Court filing)
Fulman said homeowners must “advocate” for themselves to protect themselves from the ongoing squatter crisis in New York despite the law allowing loopholes.
“These criminals are trying to drive people out of New York, and that’s not going to happen,” Fulman said. “We cannot just fall down onto every beck and call of theirs because the law technically protects certain situations.”
‘Squatter situations’
“As we can see, over the past few months, there have been awful terrible situations, as you all know, the squatter situations,” she added. “And we need to advocate for ourselves as honest homeowners and not allow the squatters to take over.”
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Fulman said that despite the lawsuit against her and her husband reaching an end, she does not feel like they accomplished much.
“I want justice, I want these people to come forward. I want them to say how they got into the house, how their belongings got there,” Fulman said. “And yeah, it would be very good for them to reimburse us for all of our time and legal fees.”
“So today, just coming here again, I don’t know if we really accomplished much,” she said.
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The two alleged squatters, Hunt and Francis, staked their claim on the Queens duplex on March 14.
The pair allegedly brought mattresses and luxury items, including a massage table and a flat screen television, according to the Daily Mail.
Legal battle
In a legal filing, Hunt and Francis alleged that they had legal residency in the home, promptly hiring legal counsel and began the process of suing Fulman and Kurlyand.
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They submitted a residential lease agreement, utility bills and mail addressed to them at the duplex, along with a $25.27 Shake Shack receipt delivered through Uber Eats to the Queens address on Jan. 15, 2024.
They also claimed that they had paid $4,000 for the security deposit and $2,000 for the first month’s rent, according to a legal filing.
The alleged squatters submitted documentation to the court intended to prove they were legally living in the Queens home before getting forced out. (Court filing)
The alleged squatters in the suit also claimed that, with the help of the police, they were “illegally and unlawfully forced” out of the premises and found the front door locks were changed.
But Kurlyand told the New York Post on Sunday that the alleged squatters provided counterfeit documents.
‘Fraudulent’ documents
“Everything they’re presenting is fraudulent,” Kurlyand told the Post. Fulman said the documents were “clearly photoshopped.”
Squatters and tenants’ rights laws vary across the country.
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In some states where laws make it difficult for police to intervene, including New York, homeowners and landlords are left with few options to reclaim their property.
Many victims are forced to submit to costly and lengthy civil processes.
Fox News’ Megan Myers contributed to this report.