A press conference was held on Wednesday at The Dunbar where thefive West Harlem tenants, Manhattan Borough president Scott M.Stringer, several members of the City Council and the group Buyersand Renters United to Save Harlem (Brush) spoke of the importanceof a recent decision by US District Court Judge Colleen McMahon ingranting class action status to the case originally filed in 2007against Pinnacle and its CEO Joel Weiner. The tenants charge thePinnacle Group fraudulently inflated rents, failed to make neededrepairs and groundlessly harassed tenants out of rent-regulatedapartments throughout New York City.

Ken Fisher, an attorney representing Pinnacle in the case, saysthat it has filed for leave to appeal the class action statusruling rendered by Judge McMahon on April 27 with the US Court ofAppeals.

Supporters of the tenants in their case against Pinnacle termthe class action ruling as "one of the most far-reaching courtdecisions in New York City's history that could potentially benefitthousands of tenants in rent-regulated apartments across the city."The decision certifies that the class consists of all persons whoare rent regulated tenants in Pinnacle properties as of April 27,2010 and a liability class for rent regulated tenants who lived inPinnacle properties between July 11, 2004 and April 27, 2010.