The City of Albany is appealing the striking of its "good-cause" eviction law, weeks after a state Supreme Court judge struck down the law.
Judge Christina Ryba ruled that sections of the city's Local Law F were null and void because they directly conflicted with state law, siding with a group of landlords who argued the legislation improperly attempted to regulate rental rates and tenant evictions and was preempted by state law.
“We applaud the City of Albany for appealing this wrongheaded decision, which grants a stay ensuring that local tenants can remain safely in their homes," read a statement from the Legal Aid Society. "However, this should not supplant the need for lawmakers to enact ‘Good Cause’ statewide, especially as tenants in unregulated units throughout the state grapple with unprecedented rent increases and unjust evictions."
The plaintiffs, including Deborah Pusatere, Rossworks LLC, John Thomas Jr., Gus Lazides and GGL Corp., took the legal action against the city and Common Council.
The law took effect last year.
Albany was the first municipality in New York to pass a "good-cause" law, which created new protections for tenants. But the legislation drew fire from many landlords.