Judge blocks city’s massive “pied-à-terre” tax list, sparking landlord backlash

A New York judge, Wayne Ozzi, has instructed the city to delete an extensive list of homeowners that was circulated ahead of an August 31 hearing on a proposed “pied-à-terre” tax. The tax, championed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul, was advertised as targeting wealthy, non-resident owners of luxury apartments, yet the city’s “prove your innocence” letters reached many full-time residents with modest homes.

While the Department of Finance trimmed the potential target pool to roughly 17,000, officials still published a database containing hundreds of thousands of names, a move described by critics as a mass doxxing effort. The list, they argue, serves to shame and intimidate landlords and is part of a larger “abolish rent” agenda led by figures like Tracy Rosenthal. Judge Ozzi’s decision gives city lawyers a chance to justify the release, but the episode highlights tensions between equity-focused policy and property-rights advocates.