Tracy Rosenthal, 39, the daughter of music studio owner Steve Rosenthal, is being sued for allegedly squatting in a Brooklyn apartment for the past four years. The lawsuit claims her refusal to pay rent, which she termed a 'rent strike,' has driven her landlord into foreclosure.
Rosenthal, who moved back to Brooklyn from Los Angeles, stated during a Democratic Socialists meeting that her $2,300-a-month apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant was infested with cockroaches. She alleged that her landlord refused to hire an exterminator. According to reports, Rosenthal discovered the building was facing foreclosure and claimed it held more rental units than legally permitted. She then organized with her neighbors to stop paying rent.
Her landlord, Adetunji Akinboboye, reportedly lost at least $108,000 from Rosenthal's unit alone and the building went into foreclosure in 2023. Rosenthal has continued to champion her rent strike since then.
Rosenthal and at least two other tenants are now facing legal action and eviction from the building's new owner, US Bank. Court documents filed in November state that the tenants have 'squatted on the premises' and that any right to occupy the unit expired upon the foreclosure judgment. Rosenthal and her neighbors were ordered to vacate the residence by November 13, 2025, but have refused to do so.
The building was placed under the city's Housing Preservation Department’s Alternative Enforcement Program in February to address living conditions, including vermin violations. A notice on the building's door indicated it was removed from the program in July after violations were resolved.
Rosenthal, who grew up in a $1.7 million residence in NoMad and attended the Grammy Awards with her father, has been a tenant activist in both New York City and Los Angeles. She authored the book 'Abolish Rent,' which advocates for tenant organizing and collective action against landlords. The book details strategies such as unionizing, making collective demands, and organizing rent strikes. Rosenthal co-founded the Los Angeles Tenants Union, described as the largest tenants’ union in the country.
In an interview in October 2024, Rosenthal discussed rent strikes, noting that her ability to live on strike for two years was influenced by her landlord being US Bank, suggesting the economic impact on the bank was minimal compared to the transformative effect on residents.
She has publicly supported tactics including protesting at landlords' homes and leaving negative online reviews. In 2023, Rosenthal and a tenant union were documented on social media protesting a landlord's child's wedding in Beverly Hills. Additionally, in July, she co-authored an article in The Nation praising the New York City Rent Guidelines Board's approval of a rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants. Rosenthal has also appeared in a mini-documentary from Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office focusing on tenant activism.
In June, Rosenthal reportedly wrote on her now-private Instagram that it had been an "Absolute banner year for tenant power... so much is possible when we organize."