A New York City actress and skin cancer survivor is suing her Manhattan apartment over claims that her $6.2 million Manhattan apartment put her at risk of a recurrence of her disease due to powerful UV rays.
Jennifer Betit Yen, 48, and her husband, Jeffery Peyton Worley, are suing 685 First Realty Group, alleging that her First Avenue apartment exposed her to harmful UV rays through floor-to-ceiling windows, despite the real estate group’s assurances that the apartment was “100 percent” protected.
Yen alleged in her lawsuit, seen by DailyMail.com, that she had “repeatedly” told the real estate group that she had “a desire and need for UV protection” in her home due to her history of melanoma.
“Over the next three years, I suddenly had to undergo two suspicious biopsies and my family saw a painting on our wall that was quickly fading and other evidence that the developer’s representative may not have been truthful,” she wrote in a separate blog post.
In her lawsuit, which also names The Soloviev Group, the developers and One United Nations Park as defendants, she alleged that she suffered injuries to the side of her face facing the windows.
Jennifer Betit Yen, 48, (left) and her husband Jeffery Peyton Worley (right) are suing 685 First Realty Group, alleging her First Avenue apartment exposed her to harmful UV rays through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Yen alleged in a lawsuit seen by DailyMail.com that she “repeatedly” told the real estate group that she had a “want and need for UV protection” in her home because of her history of melanoma
The Soloviev Group, the property’s developers, told The New York Post that the couple should have gotten UV tested before purchasing the home in 2021
She added that fortunately the lesions that needed to be biopsied before test results could be revealed were benign.
“We asked another representative of the developer to confirm that the glass is fully UV resistant and he assured us, both verbally and in writing, that this was the case,” wrote the actress, who has appeared in series such as New Amsterdam and Royal Pains.
“I may not know the true impact yet,” she continued. “If I had known the truth, I would have been able and willing to protect myself! I would have done the same thing I did at my previous home and had solar film installed.”
The Soloviev Group, the project developers of the property, said The New York Post that the couple should have been tested for UV radiation before purchasing the house in 2021.
“If it was such a significant issue, they should have investigated it at their own discretion,” attorney Alex Estis told The Post.
Estis claimed that Yen and Worley “made a very cheap [UV testing] device from Amazon’ to test.
The New Amderstam actress claimed she developed lesions on the side of her face facing the windows that had to be biopsied, but thankfully they turned out to be benign.
The couple is seeking at least $1 million, plus pre-judgment interest, punitive and exemplary damages, costs and expenses, the lawsuit says
“They should have done that test and verified it before the closure,” he said.
Soloviev Group CEO Michael Hershman told The Post that the lawsuit was “frivolous” and that an “independent expert tested the window and found that the protection meets standards.”
“We will vigorously combat the allegations, which are unfounded,” he told the newspaper.
However, Yen claims that a third of the glass in her study and half of the glass in her living room provided little to no protection and that she had been unknowingly exposing herself to the sun for years by “sitting directly in the sun, thinking I was safe.”
“This is like telling a light-skinned person to go sit on a sunny beach and be safe with this sunscreen, but instead of giving them sunscreen, you give them a bottle of baby oil,” she scathingly wrote. “If I had known the truth, I would have been able and willing to protect myself!
Soloviev Group CEO Michael Hershman told The Post the lawsuit was “frivolous” and said an “independent expert tested the window and found the protection to meet standards.”
The Soloviev Group, the property’s developers, told The New York Post that the couple should have gotten UV tested before purchasing the home in 2021
‘I was disgusted and now I’m in a surreal situation where I’ve been unknowingly sitting in a potentially deadly UV bath almost every day during the sun’s hottest hours, thinking I was safe, for YEARS.’
According to Yen, melanomas are likely to recur and it can take years for UV exposure to manifest.
The couple is seeking at least $1 million, plus pre-judgment interest, punitive damages, costs and expenses, the lawsuit said.
The final amount of the judgment will be determined by the court.
Estis, 685 First Realty Group and One United Nations Park did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com.