NYC Family’s Dream Home Turns Nightmare as Squatter Refuses to Leave

Clear Facts

• The Landa family, successful interior designers, purchased a $2 million house in Douglaston, New York City, intending for their sons to reside there and care for their brother with Down Syndrome.
• The house came with an unexpected problem: a former caretaker, Brett Flores, who refused to leave, claiming squatters’ rights and filing for bankruptcy to protect himself from litigation.
• Flores, who had been the caretaker for the previous owner, has been taken to court nine times, over half of which have occurred since the Landas purchased the home. He has allegedly demanded a large sum of money to leave the property.

In a quiet, affluent suburb of New York City, a family’s dream home has turned into a nightmare. The Landa family, owners of Interiors by J. C. Landa, a renowned interior design firm, purchased a $2 million house next door to their current residence. Their intention was for their sons to live there and help care for their brother with Down Syndrome.

The family’s company, Interiors by J. C. Landa, has worked with “many of the most exclusive homes and corporate offices in the country,” including the White House during the Obama administration. The Landas expressed their gratitude for the opportunity “to have served the White House throughout the past eight years” in a Facebook post.

However, their new property came with an unexpected issue: a tenant who refused to leave. Brett Flores, a 32-year-old nurse, had lived in the home as the caretaker for the previous owner, Bernand Fernandez. After Fernandez’s death, Flores claimed squatters’ rights and filed for bankruptcy, a move the Landa family’s lawyer argues is intended to protect him from litigation.

“Mrs. and Mr. Landa, or any of their representatives, do not under any circumstances have my consent to enter my residence here,” a sign on the door of the house read. “I decline any contact request with the Landas, and any contact will be interpreted as harassment. Kindly forward all communications to my lawyer, Dennis O’Sullivan, whose contact info is listed below. Thank you.”

Flores, who received $3000 a month for his caretaker services, claimed that Fernandez gave him permission to remain in the house. However, he has failed to produce any supporting evidence for this claim.

“We’re in the process of having the automatic bankruptcy stay lifted so that we can go back to court and proceed with a trial,” Anthony Mordente, the lawyer for the Landa family, told Fox News Digital. “I think we’ll be successful. I don’t have any reason why the bankruptcy judge would have any reason to keep the stay in effect.”

“[The house] is not part of his bankruptcy estate because he doesn’t have a ten-year lease that would give him time to stay here, so without a lease and without an agreement to stay, the bankruptcy judge is going to say: What is this all about?” Mordente added.

Mordente also rejected the notion that Flores had any basis for occupancy, either as a proper tenant or as a squatter. He stated, “A squatter is technically someone who breaks into a property, so he has entered without the permission of his employer, so he’s technically not a squatter in the legal sense of the term. In my opinion, he doesn’t have any possessive interest in the space because, in point, his employment has been terminated by the death of his employer.”

Flores has now appeared in court nine times, over half of which have occurred since the Landas bought the home. He has reportedly demanded a large sum of money, “in excess of $100,000,” to leave the property, a demand the family has refused.

O’Sullivan, Flores’ lawyer, declined to comment on claims that Flores had offered to leave if paid. However, he stated that his client’s position is that the family has used intimidation tactics to try and force him out of the home. Mordente denied that the Landas had engaged in any form of intimidation.

Flores did not respond when Fox News Digital knocked on the door of the property. An examination of the home revealed that several security cameras were visible around the property, some of which had been painted over. The lawn and side yard sit have been totally torn up: Mordente claimed the family did so after Flores caused a sewage back-up by clogging the pipes.

Most strikingly, many residents did not appear to have known that Flores did not own the home and had lived there as a potential squatter. At a church within walking distance of the home, a patron said they couldn’t believe it would happen in such an affluent area.

Flores had posted on several rental sites – all of which have since been deleted – and advertised individual rooms, such as the “Prince Room,” which he charged $50 a night, according to The New York Post.

O’Sullivan said that he would offer further comments on Friday in response to the increased media attention on the case.

Clear Thoughts (op-ed)

The case of the Landa family and their squatter problem is a glaring example of the flaws in our legal system. A family who worked hard to purchase a dream home for their sons and a brother with Down Syndrome is being held hostage by a former caretaker exploiting legal loopholes.

Brett Flores, refusing to leave and demanding a large sum of money, has turned the Landas’ dream into a nightmare. The fact that he can delay justice through bankruptcy filings and questionable claims of squatters’ rights is a travesty.

This situation should serve as a wake-up call for lawmakers and the judiciary to address these legal loopholes and ensure that hardworking American families are not subjected to such blatant abuses of the system. The Landa family deserves to enjoy their dream home without being exploited by opportunistic individuals like Brett Flores.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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