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New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Monday a settlement with Brooklyn-based Spigro Management LLC and its lead property manager, Saul Friedman, after an investigation found the company illegally locked people out of their homes by changing apartment locks without notice. The Office of the Attorney General found Spigro illegally evicted people from apartment buildings in Brooklyn and the Bronx on at least four occasions between 2020 and 2025 by changing locks or blocking access without a court order. Under the settlement, Spigro will pay between $1,000 and $1,200 to each of the four affected residents, along with $23,500 in civil penalties. The company also must create new rules for changing locks, notify tenants of their rights, and remain under state oversight for three years. "Spigro callously violated the trust, safety, and privacy of occupants by illegally changing their locks while they were not home," James said in a statement. "Attempting to evict people from their homes by sneaking in and changing the locks is as sinister as it is shameful. My office will always take action against any property manager or landlord that violates tenants' rights." Spigro manages more than 40 buildings with more than 3,000 apartments across New York City. Many of the buildings include rent-stabilized tenants. New York City law bars landlords from removing tenants without going through the courts. People who have lived in a home for at least 30 days generally cannot be forced out without a court order. The attorney general's office opened its investigation in May 2025 after receiving complaints about illegal lockouts. In one case, a Brooklyn man who had lived with his mother for more than 22 years returned from taking out the trash to find the apartment lock had been changed after she died. A neighbor later told him the landlord was removing his belongings without permission. In another case, a Bronx man who had lived with his father for 45 years found the apartment lock had been changed after his father's death, even though he had requested succession rights to the rent-stabilized apartment. A third resident lost access to his building after his key fob was deactivated following his partner's death. Investigators said Spigro claimed a family member approved the change, even though that person did not have legal authority. The fourth case involved a building porter who lived in a basement apartment. After he was injured at work, had surgery, and filed for workers' compensation, he returned home to find the locks had been changed and his job ended. Investigators said Spigro claimed he had never worked there. Under the settlement, Spigro must pay the four residents by Sept. 15, 2026. The company also must keep records of every lock change, explain the legal reason for each one, inform current tenants of their rights, and report any future illegal eviction complaints to the attorney general's office for the next three years.

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