Articles by Karen Matthews

Woman Who Faced Eviction Over 3 Emotional Support Parrots Wins $165,000

A woman who faced eviction from her Manhattan apartment over her three emotional support parrots will be paid $165,000 in damages plus $585,000 for her apartment under a consent decree announced by federal prosecutors. The consent decree announced Monday resolves …

New York City Subway Workers at Risk, Federal Agency Warns

The agency that runs New York City’s subway system is putting track workers at risk by failing to follow its own safety rules, federal authorities said in an audit issued this week. The Federal Transit Administration said in a special …

Drunk Driver Who Killed 4 Crashing Into Nail Salon Was Going 78 mph, Say Prosecutors

The drunk driver who killed four people and injured nine more when he crashed his SUV into a Long Island nail salon was driving 78 mph (125 kph) at the time of the crash, prosecutors said Thursday as the driver …

Nurse Honored for Compassion Is Fired After Referring to Gaza ‘Genocide’ in Speech

A nurse was fired by a New York City hospital after she referred to Israel’s war in Gaza as a “genocide” during a speech accepting an award. Labor and delivery nurse Hesen Jabr, who is Palestinian American, was being honored …

New York City to Pay $17.5M, End Ban on Religious Head Coverings in Mug Shots

New York City has agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by two Muslim women who were forced to remove their head coverings to be photographed after they were arrested. The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2018 …

New York College Faces Students’ Lawsuit Over Abuse by Ex-Con Who Lived on Campus

Two former students are suing Sarah Lawrence College, arguing the New York school failed to protect them from Lawrence “Larry” Ray as the ex- convict moved into his daughter’s housing on campus and began grooming her friends for abuse. The …

After Fire Kills 3, New York City Says Businesses Must Do More to Ensure e-Bike Safety

New York City officials say retailers and food delivery companies must do more to halt the proliferation of unsafe e-bike and e-scooter batteries, after a fire blamed on an electric scooter`s lithium ion battery killed three people over the weekend. …

Law Enforcement Seizes Museums’ Artworks Believed Stolen During Holocaust

Three artworks believed stolen during the Holocaust from a Jewish art collector and entertainer have been seized from museums in three different states by New York law enforcement authorities. The artworks by Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele were all previously owned …

New York City Construction Crane Catches Fire, Collapses and Crashes

A towering construction crane caught fire high above the West Side of Manhattan on Wednesday morning, causing its long arm to snap off, smash against a nearby building and plummet to the street as people ran for their lives on …

Mechanic Charged with Criminally Negligent Homicide in Fatal NYC Elevator Plunge

An elevator mechanic’s failure to execute basic safety procedures caused an elevator at a New York City building to plunge six stories and crush a co-worker to death, prosecutors said Tuesday. Mechanic Peter Milatz, 67, was charged with criminally negligent …