East Side Art Dealer Sues Homeless Men

[RiverStone]

The NY Sun
1/17/07


A high-end antique dealer on the Upper East Side is suing four unnamed homeless people for $1 million on the grounds that they've driven away customers by loitering on the sidewalk in "old, warn, and unsanitary clothing and cardboard boxes and old blankets which they convert into sleeping accommodations."

In addition to money, Karl Kemp & Associates Antiques, located near 69th Street at 833 Madison Ave. near Gucci, Chanel, and Prada, is asking a Manhattan Supreme Court judge to force the homeless defendants to stay at least 100 feet away from the store, according to legal papers filed yesterday.

For more than two years, the papers allege, the homeless have spent "significant amounts of time" obstructing Karl Kemp's storefront window display, "consuming alcoholic beverages from open bottles, performing various bodily functions such as urinating or spitting on the sidewalk, and…verbally harassing or intimidating … prospective customers."

A saleswoman at Karl Kemp, whose Web site says specializes in "rare Biedermeier and Art Deco" furniture, referred questions to its attorney, who didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.


http://www.nysun.com/article/46814

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Reading this I'm reminded of the movie KOYAANISQATSI (1982) - The title is a Hopi Indian word meaning "life out of balance."

[Goblinmonger]

1. That'll teach 'em

Whatever will those homeless guys do with a million dollar judgement against them. They might lose their homes. Oh, wait...

Dumbass.

[SeattleGirl]

2. Oh fer chrissakes!

By all means, sir, these pieces of filth must be taken off the streets. They DO clutter the landscape, you know. :sarcasm:

[ellenfl]

3. i wonder how much money they hope to be awarded. eom

[Goblinmonger]

4. (Dupe) this will never make it through

summary judgement.

(My computer did some weird crap and dupe posted this over a long period :shrug: )

[jgraz]

5. here's hoping the resulting boycott costs them far more

I'd hand the homeless folks pickets and let them walk a line in front of the store.

[walldude]

6. What a genius! I love this guy, I can't wait to peruse his gallery

it must be full of velvet portraits of Reagan and Dogs Playing Poker!

[Wiley50]

7. I Hope They Counter Sue For A Million And Win

Any DU NY Lawyers willing to take the case?

[porphyrian]

8. I'm not sure what I think about this.

On one hand, a business person who pays rent to operate in a particular location and whose profits rely on people coming to and entering their business should have some recourse if people are intentionally hindering their operation.

On the other hand, these are homeless men, human beings who have nowhere to live. They can't just be shuffled off indefinitely, ignored as long as they are someone else's problem. Certainly there is a better way to deal with them, if we aren't going to solve the root problems of poverty in the first place.

It bothers me that this situation exists at all.

[Homer Wells]

13. You make a Good Point, Porphyrian

This is not a Black or White issue, nor one to make a summary judgement on.

Very frustrating on both sides.

[cui bono]

9. so he'll win $1m worth of dirty clothes and cardboard? nt

[niyad]

10. instead of spending money on their high-priced law firm, why doesn't this gallery give the money to

one of the local shelters, so that these men would have somewhere to GO?
and, if they are in the high-rent district, are the other shops having this problem? if not, why this particular shop?

I suspect there is more to the story, as usual.

[kineneb]

14. yup, just give the street guys the attorneys' fees

and they would probably be able to rent at least a studio. Misplaced priorities...

and by the way, how does one get blood from a turnip???

[WI_DEM]

11. Good Luck collecting

[SpiralHawk]

12. These folks have to be republicons

What would Jesus do?

Not that any of the republicons give a shit.

[EstimatedProphet]

15. Our society is coming apart

The superrich suing homeless people because they are homeless in his presence...

This is just so fucking stupid and venal there's no words for it.

[RiverStone]

19. Just a roof would be worth more then any piece or art....

...if your homeless. I can't think of a greater disparity. A homeless person vs a high end specialty art dealer.

Whereas for most buying a collectors' art piece is a luxury - just having a roof and warm bed would be for someone living on the streets.

Yea, no words for it.

[lovuian]

16. Suggestion take the money you spend for lawyers and

buy the poor guys a house with housekeeper and new wardrobes...

[bluewave]

17. I'd pay them to go away

Seems less costly than hiring attorneys.

[ccpup]

18. I happen to know the Karl Kemp

store they're talking about -- as I bought a fair number of antiques during a recent renovation for my apartment in NY -- and it's widely known that the stuff he has is sh*t. Oftentimes they'll claim something is from a certain period when it's obvious it's from a later period, etc and so on. I think the store is trying to find a way to rationalize the loss of business they've experienced due to the fact that those who are successful helping other people furnish their homes have been going elsewhere for some time. At least he's back in the news, right?