HELL'S KITCHEN — The basement of the Stage Door Deli & Restaurant was deluged with “sewage and fecal matter” after the building’s owner failed to inspect and maintain the eatery’s pipes, a new lawsuit charges.
The restaurant at 360 Ninth Ave., between West 30th and 31st streets, was no longer able to use its basement after the pipes connecting to the city’s main utility lines broke on July 30, 2016, the suit filed against the landlord Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court claims.
Building owner 30th Street and 9th Avenue Enterprises LLC was supposed to inspect and maintain the pipes but failed to do so, the suit notes.
The diner, known for the corned beef and pastrami sandwiches it has served for the past 17 years, moved into the Ninth Avenue space after a rent hike forced it out of its longtime home across from Penn Station in 2015.
When the pipes broke last year, “sewage and fecal matter” seeped into the basement, “causing both substantial health concerns and damage to food products, food supplies and food preparation areas,” the complaint says.
The flooding rendered the basement unusable, and the restaurant — which claims it didn’t do anything to cause the pipes to malfunction — sustained “substantial property damage… loss of business and damage to reputation."
The landlord knew about the “dangerous, hazardous and unsafe conditions” that existed before the pipes broke, but didn’t do anything to remedy them, the suit adds.
The deli — which continued to pay rent and operated in the space after the flooding took place — is seeking $650,000 in damages, the suit says.
A representative for the landlord couldn't be reached for comment Friday, and deli owner George Chritis said he couldn't comment on ongoing litigation.
