Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in New York

civil court

i moved out of my townhouse which i shared with my ex in dec.2007. he was abusive and i got an order of protection against him. then in feb the landlord called me and told me that he hadnt gotten rent jan or feb and that he wanted to evict my ex. so i used my order of protection against him and had him removed from the property by the police. then i paid half of what was owed to the landlord and signed a lease termination even though i didnt live there the two months thinking that this was over. i received a summons to go to civil court now because my ex still hasnt paid his half of the rent. i have no problem going to court because i still have the receipt from paying my half of the rent. he landlord is still owed 800 dollars from my ex. am i going to be responsible for half of that? or am i in the clear because i already paid half? i am worried and nervous because i scrapped up that money quickly so i wouldnt get taken to court. the landlord told me since we were both on the lease at the time that he had to take me?

thanks for you time,


Asked on 3/15/08, 12:46 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Debra Palazzo Law Offices of Debra Palazzo, LLC

Re: civil court

Sounds like a question we had gotten before in which I offered to help but was told it was all taken care of....

You are JOINTLY responsible for the entire back rent. When you paid half, it was your responsibility to get a release from the landlord for the balance. If you didn't, you are still laible. If you did, bring the release to court with proof of payment.

As I stated in the prior question, there is a new law which releases a DV victim from the rent if they follow proper procedure. That was not done here.

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Answered on 3/15/08, 10:35 pm


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