Plan to Evict Bedridden Man Poses an 800-Pound Dilemma

Unless the scales of justice tip in his favor in the next few days, an 800-pound man unable to get out of bed will be evicted from his home, hoisted by a forklift and hauled off on a flatbed trailer.

Michael Edelman, 24, who fell out of bed in December and needed a tow truck to get up, lost an appeal of the eviction Thursday.

His landlord, Ronald Fish, wants to level the dilapidated bungalow where Edelman has lived with his mother for two years in order to redevelop the land for single-family homes in this suburb north of New York City.

Edelman’s attorney, George Rosenbaum, said he’ll fight any attempt to use a forklift to remove his client.

“My understanding is that if Michael is touched and if they try to move him, his health would be jeopardized,” Rosenbaum said.

Ken Seltman, a spokesman for Westchester County, said the county probably will seek an independent physician’s opinion before removing Edelman.

Edelman has been accepted into an obesity program at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City but said he does not want to go because the program will not accept his mother, who weighs about 400 pounds.