The Horror of Waking Up to a Rat on Your Stomach

The lawsuit alleges that the landlord neglected to execute repairs that would've kept the rats out.

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Complex Original

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An Upper West Side woman has filed a lawsuit against her landlord after falling and sustaining serious injury to her knee because she woke up to a rat nonchalantly chillin' on her chest.

On the fateful June 2012 night, Lidia Cuevas woke up the rodent invading her personal space. Startled, she fell out of bed and suffered a serious injury that resulted in surgery, as well as "permanent pain, suffering, and inconvenience." The lawsuit claims that Cuevas' landlord declined to fill several holes in the wall that gave the vermin access to her bedroom. 

However, it was landlord Harry Tawil who took Cuevas to court, alleging that she was responsible for the rat-friendly conditions and repeatedly complaining to the Housing Department. A Housing Court Judge dismissed that case in February. 

Gothamist notes that Cuevas' lawsuit aims to secure an unspecified amount of damages from both Tawil and Beacon 109 245-251 LLC, the management company.

[via Gothamist]

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