Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1983. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The New York Times - October 1, 1983
Philip Shenon
The doctor was told by a the chairman of the building's board of directors that tenants had decided to evict him because they were frightened of the AIDS patients and felt the nature of the doctor's practice would lower their apartment values, according to Attorney General Robert Abrams.
The doctor, Joseph A. Sonnabend, a physician and AIDS researcher, has an office on the first floor of the building, at 49 West 12th Street, between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas. He said he had treated 40 patients with AIDS, or aquired immune deficiency syndrome. The disease breaks down the body's natural immunities and is often fatal.
Justice Thomas J. Hughes of State Supreme Court in Manhattan issued a temporary restraining order yesterday barring the building's owners from evicting Dr. Sonnabend. The order was issued at the request of the Attorney General's office.
Mr. Abrams said the lawsuit sought a new lease for Dr. Sonnabend and at least $60,000 in damages. Dr. Sonnabend, who has practiced in the building since 1977, and four AIDS victims treated by him were named as plaintiffs.
A lawyer for the building's board of directors, James Fornari, said he and the board chairman, Dan Foxx, would not comment on the lawsuit until they had seen a copy of it.
The suit charges that the the building's owners violated state laws that prevent discrimination against people with physical disabilities, such as AIDS victims.
"This attempt to evict a distinguished researcher and clinician is symptomatic of the hysteria that has surrounded the AIDS crisis," said Mr. Abrams. "Our lawsuit is a classic antidiscrimination case and is being filed to combat this irrational prejudice."
According to the suit, a decision was made at a meeting last August of the building's board of directors to evict the doctor, who is a well-known AIDS researcher. The board decided at the same meeting to offer renewal leases to two other doctors who do not treat AIDS patients, the suit said.
Dr. Sonnabend said current medical research had shown that AIDS could be transmitted only through sexual contact.
The lawsuit was filed jointly by Mr. Abram's office and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a homosexual rights group.
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