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Residents of a luxury Upper East Side condominium are up in arms after learning that nearly $500,000 from the building’s common funds was used to pay for renovations inside a board member’s apartment, according to a lawsuit first cited by the New York Post.
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The dispute centers on a 42-story tower at 515 East 72nd Street. Court filings reviewed by the Post allege that the condo board approved a $492,000 payment to repair water damage inside a 4,300-square-foot apartment owned by Gina Abandonato Switzer and her husband, Lou Switzer, CEO of interior architecture firm The Switzer Group.According to public records, the apartment was last sold for a bit over $6 million in 2009.
The renovations — which included replacing flooring and cabinetry — are now the subject of a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by fellow resident and attorney Carl Garnier, who claims the board approved the payout without proper documentation or transparency.
According to the lawsuit, residents were not informed of the payment until this spring and only after “repeated questioning.” Garnier alleges the board failed to produce invoices, photographs, inspection reports, insurance records, or evidence of a formal vote authorizing the nearly half-million-dollar expenditure.
The board has argued that paying out of pocket was preferable to filing an insurance claim, which could have significantly increased premiums, the Post reported. Financial disclosures submitted in court state that the Switzers’ unit sustained water and mold damage during façade testing in 2023.
Tensions among residents were captured in transcripts from a November board meeting included in the court filings, where some owners described the payment as a conflict of interest and potentially fraudulent. Gina Switzer, who is not named as a defendant, has called the allegations “mistruths” and said the damage to her apartment was severe, though the lawsuit claims photos were never produced.
Attorneys for the board maintain the payment was legal and properly disclosed in audited financials, and say the lawsuit will be dismissed.
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