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Guramrit Hanspal, age 52, who has made just one mortgage payment on his East Meadow home - back in 1998 - has been navigating his way through the legal system for more than 20 years using a series of tactics to stave off eviction.
Now, Hanspal’s latest gambit includes that he has suffered financial hardships because he was diagnosed with COVID-19, which allowed him to avoid his latest hearing in Nassau County Housing Court.
According to the New York Post, since making the one payment 23 years ago, Hanspal has filed multiple bankruptcies and lawsuits in an effort to get kicked out of his home.
The home, which was foreclosed on years ago and is currently owned by the Diamond Ridge Partners realtors group, has become a point of contention as they seek to oust him from the residence.
It is unclear when Hanspal allegedly contracted the virus, or what hardships he was forced to endure as a result. COVID-19 Hardship Declaration forms allow for renters impacted by the pandemic to claim financial issues without having to provide proof, delaying potential evictions for months.
“It’s clearly within this statute to protect people who said they had COVID and, for purposes of the argument today, he had COVID, he said he had COVID and they’ve done nothing to rebut that. And I just think they’re stuck with that,” a lawyer for Hanspal told the Post.
In the report from the Post, an attorney for Diamond Ridge stated that Hanspal is using pandemic protections to stay in the home, while an attorney for Hanspal did not object to the latest delay, stating that he “isn’t going to object.”
No new court date has been announced. Check Daily Voice for updates as the case continues.
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