Gay couple sues Dorchester Towers in NYC for harassment, discrimination – New York Post
A gay, biracial couple has filed a lawsuit against a swanky Manhattan highrise, charging that the building’s management engaged in discrimination, harassment and retaliation against them because of their race and sexual orientation.
The $2.1 million suit alleges that former Dorchester Towers residents Anthony Dolci and Ming Infante “were systematically and aggressively discriminated against and made the subject of harassment tactics by employees of the building.”
Dolci, 53, an organizer and activist, and Infante, 58, a business analyst, have been together for 22 years. In 2016, they relocated from Hong Kong to New York, where they settled at Dorchester Towers on the Upper West Side, a luxury building that boasts it takes “pride in your everyday” with its “white glove service,” sundeck and private driveway. The couple paid $2,850 per month for their one-bedroom apartment in 2016; now, some one-bedrooms rent for over $5,000 per month. Dolci operated a small business taking care of elderly residents in the building.
“Anthony has one of the most generous hearts of anyone I know. He loves taking care of people who need help,” wrote one resident in a letter of recommendation reviewed by The Post.
But when the building changed its management in 2018, the new manager told Dolci that he and Infante “did not fit in with the building,” according to the suit, which also alleges that the building removed a “rainbow flag” hanging on the couple’s door. Dolci said the building even barred him and Infante from passing out candy on Halloween.
“I definitely feel that because we’re an openly gay couple, we were judged because of who we are and because we didn’t hide how we act and talk and dress and go about our business coming in out of our home,” Dolci said.
The suit alleges that management instructed building staff to call the police on the couple if they spent more than a few minutes in their hallway or lobby. In a video viewed by The Post, the manager tells Dolci, “The staff is told that you’re here for five minutes and then you gotta leave the desk, otherwise PD gets called.”
Dorchester Towers filed a total of 31 police reports against Dolci in 2018 and 2019, according to the suit. In November 2018, Dorchester management claimed Dolci and Infante overflowed their bathroom and called the fire department, which broke down the couple’s door. There was no flood, and the building replaced their door with one from another apartment, according to the suit.
“We really suffered and went through a lot of very frightening, terrifying experiences,” Dolci said.
The building’s current manager, doormen, and numerous residents all declined to comment. One resident, who spoke under the condition of anonymity citing fear for her safety, said she was “surprised” to hear about the lawsuit because she’s “only had a positive experience” in the building.
Ogden Cap Properties, the company that manages Dorchester Towers, denies the allegations.
The company has filed a motion to dismiss the case in its entirety and “is confident that it will prevail in court,” according to a spokesperson.
“Ogden Cap Properties doesn’t tolerate discrimination in any form,” the spokesperson said, adding that “the allegations contained in the lawsuit are baseless and totally without legal or factual merit.”