BELL GARDENS : Landlord Sued Over Rats, Sewage

Four families who allege that their landlord ignored complaints of raw sewage, rat infestation and other health and safety problems on his property have filed suit against him, seeking up to $1 million in punitive damages.

The civil lawsuit against Dr. Charles Sassoon, a Huntington Park-based obstetrician, and his brother Albert will be heard in Norwalk Superior Court. The trial is expected to last five days.

Carlos Levario, a city building inspector who will testify in the trial, said conditions at the detached-unit apartment complex at 5516 Gotham St. were “very hazardous” and called it “a pretty bad piece of property.” The city inspected the 11-unit property at least 39 times during a two-year period, Levario said.

Despite numerous orders from city inspectors and the city Rehabilitation Appeals Board, the Sassoons failed to correct conditions that included faulty plumbing; broken windows, doors and security gates; a leaky roof; rusted showers; rodents, and garbage on the property, Levario said.

The case was sent to a city prosecutor and Charles Sassoon pleaded no contest in February, 1992, to misdemeanor charges of failing to correct substandard conditions, according to a city memorandum.

He was sentenced to three years’ probation and fined about $2,500. Albert Sassoon did not appear at the proceeding last year and a warrant was issued for his arrest. His attorney, Roger Shafer, said his client has been out of the country.

Nelson L. Cohen, attorney for the plaintiffs, said his clients will seek damages of $5,000 per family in back rent, $50,000 per family for emotional distress and up to $1 million in punitive damages.

Shafer refused to comment on the case.