After spending the last six years in and out of court, James McMillan III received an eviction notice.
He filed a federal lawsuit in a New York City court to stop the eviction.
“I’m going to fight it to the very last day,” he said. “What’s happening to me is happening to the people. They could get a ton of money for that apartment.”
He pays $872 per month for an apartment in Manhattan that could be rented between $2,600 and $3,800.
McMillan originally took Lisco Holdings LLC to court in 2009, claiming the locks were changed on his building and he was never given a key, leaving him “sleeping in [his] car, in the park, and sometimes on the street.”
The company argues that the apartment is not McMillan’s main residence, as required by rent control. McMillan disagrees.
Lisco had refused to renew his lease in April 2011 and returned several rent checks since. In his filing, McMillan says the company is looking for more than $18,359 in back rent.
The ex-presidential candidate, who also ran for governor of New York is acting as his own attorney in federal court. He is demanding a stop to the eviction and $1.3m in damages.
If the eviction goes through, he will be kicked out of his apartment on 5 February.
