Closing Bell: Adopted at 63 for a Rent Controlled Apartment in LIC

Over the weekend the Post reported that 63-year-old LIC resident Maria DeTommaso went to extreme measures to hold onto a $100 a month apartment in the neighborhood: she had herself adopted. As the story goes, DeTommaso (then Pamela Becker) moved into the building in 2002 with Nicholas DeTommaso, a resident who had lived in the six-unit rental on 47th Road his entire life. According to the Post, “Twenty-two days before [Nicholas] DeTommaso died in 2009 at age 85, Becker managed to get herself adopted by the ailing man.” She now claims she is entitled to stay in her “father’s” apartment without the crazy-cheap rent going up — and to no surprise, her landlords are trying to evict her. Last week they took DeTommaso to Queens Housing Court after a series of delays over the past year. Though the landlords ultimately withdrew their suit over technical issues, they still plan to pursue eviction.

Tenant Wins Round in Eviction Battle over Late-Life Adoption [NY Post]