Legal battle ensues after man parks 30 luxury cars in garage

A New Jersey man who parks dozens of luxury cars in his apartment complex's garage is involved in a pair of legal disputes with the complex after he received numerous eviction notices and the building tried to take back some of the spots.

John Corigliano's lawsuit seeks $2 million in damages from The Plaza, a co-op apartment building in Fort Lee, The Record newspaper reported Monday.

Corigliano has 30 cars that he keeps in the residential parking garage. Rolls-Royce made 29 of those cars in the 1950s and 1960s.

Corigliano's suit states the board of directors denied him his right to review the co-op's financial records and they wrongly refused to let a grievance committee hear his case. He also seeks protection for his cars.

"They cannot be allowed to get away with denying legal rights to tenants and shareholders in buildings," Corigliano said of the co-op board.

He said he's suing on behalf of everyone in New Jersey who is being "bullied" by wealthy board members who are represented by tough law firms. Residents in his building, he said, are afraid to speak out against the co-op.

"I will never give this case up," he said. "Because it's not only for me. It's for everyone else who's intimidated in this building."

The board filed a lawsuit against Corigliano two weeks ago in Hackensack, seeking his eviction, or at least to reclaim some of the spots that he has refused to relinquish. Corigliano has a history of late payments spanning more than three decades, the co-op said.

Their suit states the complex needs the spots to maintain an inventory of no less than eight vacant and usable garage parking spaces for prospective newcomers.

Mark Semeraro, an attorney representing the co-op, said the board has a fiduciary duty to preserve the property's "value and operations." Their lawsuit "was intended to do just that."

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