A wealthy Upper East Side couple with an apparent penchant for cherub decor is seeking compensation for a whopping $27,000 worth of takeout food they were "forced" to order while their building fixed a gas problem for 10 months.
Beverly Taki and Louis Maione of the $4.5 million 850 Park Avenue address are claiming to have had their world "turned upside down" during these beleaguered months.
Maione lamented to The New York Post, "My wife is a fabulous cook. I’d come home and my wife would have a rib roast ready or any number of desserts she was testing."
The horror Maione suffered when he could no longer come home to such a domesticated sight was so unbearable, the duo had no choice but to turn to takeout food, managing to rack up $2,700 a month for their takeout extravaganzas.
This dire situation reached a boiling point on Christmas Eve, when the couple was unable to host their annual Christmas Eve soiree and were subjected to taking their guests to a fancy restaurant, footing a $1700 bill they now want covered.
A similar inconvenience was experienced in Williamsburg, when hundreds of residents at a public housing building were told they would be without gas for nearly a year due to a leak. One positive resident calmly explained, "I hope things work out! We're not going to die of hunger, but it's quite a high percentage of stress."
Last Thanksgiving, sixteen families at a housing project in the Lower East Side were facing a second holiday without gas. But rather than order heaping amounts of expensive takeout and turning to a lawsuit, residents worked together to raise enough money for families to receive turkey donations to ameliorate the situation.
So while we regret to admit we are incapable of empathizing with Taki and Maione's dilemma, perhaps the couple can find comfort with one Elena Zakharova. Earlier this year, Zakharova, also an Upper East Sider, sued a pet store over compensation for nearly $8000 in veterinarian bills, when she purchased a puppy that started to limp and implored the judge to view the dogs as "living souls, not inanimate objects."
The couple may also find sympathy from the Staten Island mother who is currently challenging the city for a staggering $900 trillion for allegedly wrongfully placing her children in foster care. More on that battle below:
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly listed the property as being valued for $4.99 million.