A Queens landlord who wouldn’t spend $10,000 on a new bathtub to accommodate a severely disabled tenant has been hit with $120,000 in penalties and damages by the city’s Human Rights Commission.
Milena Jovic refused multiple requests to install an accessible bathtub in Lynn Blue’s third-floor apartment for her 17-year-old daughter, Bianca Torres, who suffers from serious disabilities that include autism, seizure disorders, a cleft palate and vision problems, according to official documents.
Blue complained that the tub is too high and it’s nearly impossible for her to get Bianca — who wears a leg brace and often crawls to get around the apartment — inside.
“She’s an evil person, she doesn’t care . . . It’s horrible. It’s been a nightmare . . . Shame on her,” a tearful Blue said Friday.
Lyn Blue stands in her apartment after winning a lawsuit against her landlord.Matthew McDermott“I would move out if I could, just for my sanity . . . I used to love my home; now I hate coming home.”
Blue reached out for help to the commission, which ordered that a smaller tub be installed that would have cost between $8,500 and $10,000.
But after two years of negotiations and no movement — the landlord insisted the tub was up to code — the commission filed charges.
An administrative law judge, John Spooner, decided that Blue suffered “considerable anxiety” over the two years and imposed penalties totalling $120,000 — a $40,000 fine, $50,000 to Blue for emotional distress and $30,000 to her daughter.
The commission, which asked for even higher penalties totaling $370,000, said it was reviewing the judge’s recommendation.
Jovic told The Post she missed the administrative trial because her lawyer had major surgery and plans to appeal.
