- Andrew Cohen has sued his brother over ownership of a Manhattan brownstone
- He alleges James is a hoarder and the apartment is filled with rats, mold and junk
- James took over the home after not receiving a $1million inheritance
- He has lived in it since 2011, allegedly not paying rent or the mortgage
A Manhattan man has accused his brother of being a hoarder as he tries to get ownership of a family home worth as much as $10million.
Andrew Lindsay Cohen says his brother James has claimed majority proprietorship of a brownstone they both inherited and has turned it into a junk-filled, rat-infested safety hazard, according to a suit filed on Thursday and first cited by the New York Daily News.
James has allegedly lived at the West 83rd St. home near Central park since 2011 and has not paid rent or the mortgage.
A $10million mess: A Manhattan man is suing his brother over ownership of a Manhattan brownstone he claims they both inherited
He took over the Upper West Side brownstone after not receiving a $1million inheritance, per the suit.
According to Andrew, the brownstone has been so neglected that it is no longer safe to enter it and is ‘almost uninhabitable.’
The suit claims: ‘James has allowed papers, garbage, old possessions, boxes, other filth and detritus to accumulate to the point that certain rooms cannot even be physically entered. Mold, believed to toxic, has grown on numerous surfaces.
![Pictures taken by a private inspector last week and included in the suit seem to prove Andrew Cohen's allegations about the state of the Upper West Side apartment](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/04/06/01/4ADDE0B100000578-5584241-image-a-21_1522974917446.jpg)
Pictures taken by a private inspector last week and included in the suit seem to prove Andrew Cohen’s allegations about the state of the Upper West Side apartment
‘Moreover, there is ample visible evidence of rats, mice and other vermin being in the house.’
Pictures taken by a private inspector last week and included in the suit seem to prove Andrew’s allegations.
They show a room so covered in junk that the floor isn’t visible and a desk completely filled with trash.
Trophies, a cat play set, and countless papers litter the entire area, with no surface left clean.
![Andrew filed the lawsuit on Thursday, claiming his brother James has turned the home into an 'almost uninhabitable' place](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/04/06/01/4ADDE0AD00000578-5584241-image-a-23_1522974926774.jpg)
Andrew filed the lawsuit on Thursday, claiming his brother James has turned the home into an ‘almost uninhabitable’ place
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