In a dramatic development, a Kings County Supreme Court judge in September rejected the sale of 441 Willoughby Ave. in Bed-Stuy, the former site of the Jacob Dangler mansion, by its nonprofit owner to developer Tomer Erlich. The latter controversially demolished the historic French Gothic Revival building in 2022 as it was in the process of being landmarked.
Judge Aaron Maslow said in his Sept. 20 ruling, "there are serious concerns about this entire transaction," including the amount being offered, the failure of the nonprofit United Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star to manage its assets, and that a so-called member had "absconded with a portion of them," amongst other things.
While locals have said they want the developer to be held to account for taking advantage of a loophole in the system to demolish a building using illegal means, the judge stated at the hearing that the interests of the neighborhood were not a consideration in his decision, but rather a legal obligation to make sure charitable assets are properly and legally managed and transferred.
Through assistant attorneys general Sharon Sash and Linda Heinberg, the office argued in court that the petition to sell for $4.3 million, minus $2.098 million in mortgage debt and hundreds of thousands less for other alleged debts, was far less than what the asset was worth, and should be rejected.
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