By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Troubles continued to mount Tuesday for the man behind the a proposed mosque near Ground Zero as word spread of a lawsuit against him.
The suit, filed Monday, accuses Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of failing to respond to tenant and city complaints at New Jersey apartment buildings where he reportedly serves as landlord, according to The Star-Ledger.
It was filed by Union City against Sage Development LLC and names Rauf as the sole officer of the company, which is listed to his home address, the paper said.
A hearing in connection to the case is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, an employee at the Jersey City Superior Courts confirmed, though she did not know whether Rauf would be in attendance.
Another New Jersey paper, The Record, reported last month that Rauf received more than $2 million in public funds to renovate low-income apartments in the state, but the projects were reportedly beset by problems, including rat and bedbug infestations.
Rauf’s wife, Daisy Khan, who is also involved in the project to build an Islamic community center near Ground Zero, denied the allegations when they were first reported, according to The Record.
"All of these complaints are being addressed as they come up," Khan reportedly told the paper. "Bedbugs: We fixed it. Every violation that comes up, we have addressed."
But the complaint by Union City claims otherwise, accusing the Imam of ignoring fire hazards, mold and lack of utilities, according to The Star-Ledger.
If successful, the suit would place the buildings into receivership, allowing a court-appointed receiver to collect rents from tenants and put the money towards necessary repairs, The Star-Ledger said.
