Cheryl Brown Wins $20,000 From NYCHA For Neglect, NYCHA Plans Appeal

Cheryl Brown and her three children were without hot water for two years in their East Harlem apartment. Adding injury to insult, The New York Daily News reports the New York City Housing Authority now plans to appeal the almost $20,000 a judge ordered the organization to give Brown for her troubles.

A single mother, Brown was reduced to boiling water on her stove to bathe her children. The apartment, in the East River Houses, also suffered a roach infestation due to the family's inability to properly wash dishes.

In Brown v. NYCHA, Manhattan Housing Court Justice Phyllis Saxe ruled this month that NYCHA was in contempt of court and fined the board $19,205 for repeatedly failing to fix the hot water in Brown's apartment. Saxe specifically called out NYCHA Chairman John Rhea and East River Houses building manager Clara Pabon in her decision.

According to Brown's lawyer, Alan Canner, NYCHA plans to appeal the fine that the board owes Brown.

The Daily News reports that Judge Saxe indicated that she would have found Rhea personally in contempt of court if she could have.

Rhea, a former Lehman Brothers investment banker who had no public sector experience before taking over the NYCHA chairmanship in 2009, will likely not keep his job if Bill de Blasio is elected mayor Tuesday. The Democratic candidate is an outspoken critic of Rhea's handling of public housing.

For more on the story, head over to The Daily News.