NYCHA Tries To Evict Cancer Patient Caring For Sick Mom: Lawsuit

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — The city's public housing authority is trying to evict a 64-year-old man battling stage-four liver cancer from his Brooklyn home because he was too sick to file the correct paper work, according to attorneys hoping to stop it.

The Legal Aid Society is calling on NYCHA to stop trying to evict William Sanchez from his home in Brownsville's Woodson Houses by arguing he was too ill and too busy caring for his sick elderly mother to fill out the documents required, attorneys announced Tuesday.

“We are shocked that NYCHA continues to prioritize his eviction,” said Michael Klinger, a Legal Aid Society staff attorney. “Let our client live his life in peace without having to worry about becoming homeless.”

Sanchez' battle with NYCHA began in 2015 when he moved into his mother's Woodson Houses apartment near Powell Street to take care of her, Legal Aid said.

The mother and son repeatedly tried to add William's name to the household composition but missed appointments because she was often too sick to make it to the management office to sign papers, the attorneys said.

Matters only became worse when Sanchez was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer, which has since spread to his throat, and required extensive chemotherapy and radiation treatment at Manhattan's Perlmutter Cancer Center, said his attorneys.

NYCHA launched its efforts to evict Sanchez and, in October 17, Legal Aid filed a lawsuit to stop the agency,, according to a press release. The suit was dismissed in February 2018 because Sanchez, still fighting cancer, was unable to submit all his paperwork

NYCHA began its eviction proceedings again in August 2018 but agreed to several stays that expired Monday, the attorneys said.

Legal Aid filed an order to show cause Wednesday which they hope will stop NYCHA from evicting their client.

NYCHA's press office did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.