A dad battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer has been fighting for nearly a year to evict a squatter as he struggles to keep up with the mounting costs of upkeep for the home on top of his medical bills. 4 The family says they cannot evict a woman from their Park Slope unit. News12 Brooklyn
Thomas Wooding, of Long Island, told News 12 that the tenant at his 4th Avenue unit in Park Slope has not paid rent since June 2023.
“I’ve made so many impassionate pleas, to please vacate my unit, she refuses,” Wooding said to the outlet. 4 Thomas Wooding is fighting stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Courtesy Thomas Wooding
The woman who has not been named publicly is supposedly retired and stopped paying rent because she was served a 90-day termination of lease notice, Woodings wife, Madalena, explained in a GoFundMe post.
The Woodings took the tenant to court earlier this year, but the case was dismissed on a technicality, they told News 12.
“Because she wasn’t served some kind of order that was set in place during the pandemic that we didn’t know about and the court clerk didn’t give it to me,” Madalena fumed.
The couple is bringing the case back to court, but is struggling to keep up with the mortgage, HOA fees, and lawyer bills on top of the medical costs of Woodings cancer. 4 The tenant supposedly stopped paying rent in June 2023. News12 Brooklyn
“She gets free legal counsel and we don’t,” Madalena said of the tenant.
The local laws, she added, seem to protect tenants while putting landlords in difficult positions. Get all the stories that move New York to your inbox
Sign up for our Metro Daily newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address
Please provide a valid email address.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters
On top of the squatter situation, Madalena is the full time caregiver for her husband and their two children.
This case is causing us alot of stress and we’ve lost alot of rental income because of her and we will continue to loose [sic] as long as she is there, she wrote on the online fundraiser. 4 Madalena Wooding is struggling to oust the renter while also caring for her ailing husband. News12 Brooklyn
Thomas Wooding did not immediately respond to The Posts request for a comment.