The game goes into extra innings up on Lake Avenue
/A year and month ago, I reported on the woes of the landlord and the star at 928 Lake Avenue:
June 21, 2025:
A whiff and a miss — Landlord strikes out
Former NY Yankee Josh Donaldson wins lawsuit against Greenwich landlord over moldy mansion
Something to grouse about, for sure.
GREENWICH — A former New York Yankees third baseman won a jury verdict expected to total about $500,000 after suing his landlord for mold problems, pests and other issues in a leased Greenwich mansion.
Josh Donaldson filed the federal suit against the Lake Avenue property owner, Bill Grous, in 2022 after paying a $110,000 security deposit and leasing the 4,480-square-foot home for $55,000 per month. The jury in U.S. District Court in Connecticut issued its verdict Wednesday.
Now retired, the three-time All Star and American League Most Valuable Player in 2015 had been traded to the Yankees from the Minnesota Twins in March 2022. Donaldson and his partner, who was six months pregnant, and their 17-month-old daughter moved into the Greenwich house in April, the complaint says.
The house sits on about 4-1/2 acres, has five bedrooms and 4-1/2 baths and is appraised at about $2.4 million, according to court documents and the Greenwich assessor. [But it sold to Grous for $3.325 million in 2005 — Ed]
However, instead of the luxury home Donaldson and his partner expected, the house was rife with problems, including an ant infestation throughout the main floor, non-working showers, broken toilets, an "unsightly, unusable pool" littered with shards of tile and concrete from a botched repair job, and an infiltration of squirrels nesting above the ceiling in one bedroom, the complaint said.
Shortly after moving in, Donaldson's partner and their daughter both developed lung congestion and lingering coughs, the suit said. An environmental testing company's inspection on April 19 revealed "an extensive and widespread infestation" of chaetomium and aspergillus mold, both of which can cause serious health problems, the complaint said.
Donaldson, through his lawyer, demanded that Grous immediately return the home to "a fit and livable condition," the suit said. The landlord, however, did not fix the mold infestation and the lease was terminated in May, the complaint said. Grous refused to return the security deposit, which led Donaldson to seek relief in court, according to the suit.
The jury verdict issued Wednesday totaled about $331,000, including $82,393.76 for costs for substitute housing, moving, transportation and other expenses, $220,000 for the security deposit (the $110,000 that Donaldson paid is doubled under Connecticut law), $1,341.87 for out-of-pocket expenses and $27,500 for emotional harm, according to the verdict form.
Donaldson's attorney, Craig Cepler, said Friday that he anticipated a judge would award in excess of $170,000 in legal expenses, which would bring the total to about $500,000.
"We're evaluating an appeal," Grous' attorney, Philip Russell, said Friday ….
I’d say the jury has already evaluated the defendant’s appeal, and found it lacking.
And now the next chapter
Mr. Donaldson was finally awarded $722,845,37 this April, but unfortunately, his claim is behind the $2.5 million foreclosure suit against landlord Grous by Deutsche Bank; it will be years before he collects, if ever.
FWIW’s Legal Eagle, Gideon, tipped me off to this suit, by the way, and also included a very interesting list of other properties tangled up in foreclosure actions. I’m not certain where he got the list, so I can’t vouch for its accuracy, but I did spot-check some of the properties, selected at random, and they’re in play; might be some relative bargains here.
Mortgage Foreclosures
• 176 Old Stone Bridge Rd – Deutsche Bank v. Hayes
• 23 Gregory Rd – Deutsche Bank v. Toscano
• 81 Strickland Rd – Wilmington Trust v. Green
• 362 Davis Ave Unit 3 – Deutsche Bank v. Souliere
• 4 Driftway – U.S. Bank Trust v. Petersen
• 43 Maple Ave Units 1–4 – JPMorgan Chase v. Allen
• 44 Edgewood Ave – Deutsche Bank Trust v. Ribeiro
• 453 E. Putnam Ave Unit 3G – U.S. Bank v. Holland
• 67 Holly Hill Ln – Wilmington Trust v. 67 Holly Hill LLC
• 28 E. Lyon Farm Dr Unit 28 – Nationstar Mortgage v. Guilfoile
• 345 Round Hill Rd – JPMorgan Chase v. Ryder
• 7 Will Merry Ln – Wilmington Trust v. Brodsky
• 74 Glen Ridge Rd – Wilmington Savings Fund Society v. Pogosian
• 84 Pemberwick Rd – U.S. Bank Trust v. Gojani
• 9 Seton Ln – JPMorgan Chase v. Supp
• 928 Lake Ave – Deutsche Bank v. Grous
• 969 North St – Patriot Bank v. Altavista Investments LLC
• 6A Lockwood Dr – U.S. Bank v. Maze
• 30 Willowmere Avenue – JPMorgan Chase v. Amodeo
• 83 Lancer Rd South – Astoria Bank v. Olbrych
• 23 Carleton St – U.S. Bank v. McGuire
• 14 Highview Ave – Bank of New York Mellon v. Arsenault
• 58 Tomac Ave – Wells Fargo v. Blinten
Town Tax / Municipal Cases
• 0 Farley St
• 111 Byram Shore Rd
• 120 East Elm St Unit 120N
• 4 Lafayette Court Unit 2B
• 969 North St
Contractor / Mechanic's Lien / Construction Cases
• 109 Pecksland Rd
• 22 Baldwin Farms
• 457 Taconic Ave• 457 Taconic Rd
• 25 South End Court
• 104 Meadow Rd
• 46 Oneida Dr
• 10 North St
HOA / Condo / Other Civil Cases
• 1 Home Place Unit 1
• 132 Putnam Park Apt. 132
• 16 Park Ave (2 cases)
• 43 Maple Ave – Green Tree Association matter
• 64 Arch St
• 87 Greenwich Ave
• 57 Cambridge Dr
