Food Network Chef Turned Squatter Evicted from NYC Apartment After NOT Paying Rent For 4 years!
Food Network Chef Turned Squatter Evicted from NYC Apartment After NOT Paying Rent For 4 years!
The saga of Madison Cowen’s tenancy has come to an end. The former Food Network reality star-turned-squatter has vacated his Boerum Hill apartment in Brooklyn after exploiting lenient eviction laws to avoid paying over $145,000 in rent for the past four and a half years.
On Tuesday morning, the British-born former champion of Chopped and Iron Chef and his family had already left their one-bedroom apartment on State Street. This occurred just before landlord Gus Sheha, accompanied by city marshal Charles Marchisotto, arrived to formally evict them under a court order and change the locks.
“We’re just happy that he is out,” a relieved Sheha told the media, minutes after entering the apartment.
“I would hope others see this and understand what type of tenant he was and are not left in the same position I was.”
The perpetual squatter still owes 53 months of overdue rent for the apartment, which he had resided in since October 2019, according to Sheha.
He hasn’t paid anything for the residence since January 2020, exploiting legal loopholes such as continuously appealing eviction notices to stay in the unit, said the landlord.
“The system is deteriorating further,” Sheha remarked.
“Regrettably, it is the small landlords who suffer the most and might face bankruptcy when tenants don’t pay rent for four and a half years.”
Sheha mentioned that he and his family are resigned to losing the rent money owed to them, acknowledging that he would need to spend additional funds on attorneys to pursue another lawsuit, with no assurance of locating Cowan to recover the payment.
“The burden falls on me once more, and it’s unjust,” he stated.
Cowan’s website highlights that he has catered upscale events for former President Bill Clinton, actress Scarlett Johansson, and other celebrities. He briefly rose to Food Network TV fame by winning “Chopped” in 2010 and an episode of “Iron Chef” in 2012.
He initially exploited a pandemic-induced state eviction moratorium from March 2020 until mid-January 2022.
Since the moratorium ended, he evaded five different eviction orders by repeatedly returning to court and submitting new appeals. He chose not to appeal further after a judge issued a sixth eviction order two weeks ago.
Cowan has a history of stiffing rent payments. According to court records, he previously failed to pay $46,200 in rent for an apartment on Concord Street in downtown Brooklyn, where he lived from 2012 to 2015.
Stay Connected With All About The Tea: Twitter Ι Instagram Ι YouTube Ι Facebook Ι Send Us Tips
