Lisa Faham is a Partner at Kucker Marino Winiarsky & Bittens LLP and Chair of the firm’s Housing Court Practice. An experienced trial attorney, Lisa focuses her practice on complex commercial and residential landlord-tenant litigation, representing New York City landlords, property owners, managing agents, court-appointed receivers, and other real estate stakeholders in disputes involving significant property and financial interests.

Lisa has extensive experience litigating matters in New York City Housing Court, including nonpayment and holdover proceedings and disputes involving rent-regulated and unregulated properties. She has particular experience handling HP proceedings and 7A cases, as well as matters involving court-appointed receivers and proceedings under Part 36 of the Rules of the Chief Judge. Her practice includes disputes involving possession, rent arrears, succession rights, rent stabilization and deregulation, rent overcharge claims, and habitability issues.

With substantial courtroom experience and a deep understanding of Housing Court practice and procedure, Lisa navigates the procedural, evidentiary, and strategic issues that can shape the outcome of a case. She works closely with clients to assess risk, develop practical litigation strategies, and pursue resolutions that protect their property and business interests.

Lisa is actively involved in New York City’s real estate industry and serves on the Real Estate Board of New York’s Housing Committee and the New York City Bar Association’s Judiciary Committee.

Prior to joining KMWB, Lisa practiced at several boutique law firms representing landlords and other real estate entities in Housing Court and Supreme Court. She also served as an Administrative Law Judge for multiple New York City agencies and as in-house counsel for a major New York City corporation. Earlier in her career, she interned with the Federal Trade Commission.

Lisa is admitted to practice in the New York State Courts.

Representative Matters:

• Represented a court-appointed receiver in a commercial landlord-tenant proceeding in New York County Civil Court where the underlying lease could not be obtained. At trial, the necessary evidentiary record was established through the commercial tenant’s testimony regarding the monthly rent and nonpayment following the receiver’s appointment. Together with the order appointing the receiver, the testimony established the receiver’s prima facie case, resulting in a judgment of possession and a $175,635 money judgment against the tenant.
• Secured a post-trial judgment of possession on behalf of a property owner in a non-primary residence holdover proceeding involving a claimed right of succession to a rent-stabilized tenancy. Following a multi-day trial, the New York City Civil Court rejected the occupant’s claim of a nontraditional family relationship with the tenant of record, finding insufficient evidence of the emotional and financial commitment and interdependence required for succession. The court awarded the property owner a final judgment of possession and issuance of the warrant of eviction.
• Defeated rent overcharge and habitability claims on behalf of a landlord in a Kings County Housing Court proceeding, securing deregulation of the unit, a $125,000 judgment, and a warrant of eviction. The tenants argued that the free-market apartment was subject to rent stabilization and that they had been overcharged. Following trial and post-trial briefing, the landlord established that the unit had been properly deregulated based on Individual Apartment Improvements (IAIs).
• Successfully secured a judgment of possession and rent arrears on behalf of a landlord in a Brooklyn Housing Court nonpayment proceeding. The tenant asserted a rent-impairing violation defense based on “open” HPD violations, a statutory defense under MDL §302. Following trial, the court rejected the defense, finding that the landlord presented credible evidence that the conditions had been corrected and that the tenant failed to prove proper notice of the violations or meet the statutory requirements for a rent abatement.