Johnson v. Block

This otherwise unremarkable Small Claims case raises a troublesome issue encountered from time to time in actions to recover overcharges of rent.

In February, 1967, plaintiff and her mother moved into an apartment at 215 West 101 Street, Manhattan. They had no written lease. The gist of their tenancy was that they paid $170 as rent each month to a Mr. William Block. More than one year later, plaintiff learned from the Rent and Rehabilitation Administration that the maximum permissible rent for the apartment was $165.50 per month. She took the matter up with Mr. Block, with whom there followed…