NYC developer Barnet Liberman stiffened neighbors, Suit says

A developer of the print shop’s swanky West Village condo is reportedly living “for free” in the “first” $20 million block of the building — while his angry neighbors are having to make up the difference, according to court filings and local residents.

Barnet Liberman and his partner made history when they converted the former printing building at 421 Hudson Street into condos in 1979, one of the first such residential conversions to be approved in the city.

The property includes an Equinox gym and a rooftop swimming pool with spectacular views. Its loft-like units with oversized windows have been eyed by celebrities like Spiderman actor Andrew Garfield.

Liberman and his wife, Phyllis, occupy a penthouse of at least 2,845 square feet. By Liberman’s own estimate, it could be worth between $6 million and $20 million.

The couple has racked up large debts, the condo claims, which is pushing to evict and sell the unit, court filings show.

According to a lawsuit filed in 2020 against the Libermans and the LLC that owns the unit and other defendants, the $3,160 monthly joint dues have not been paid since January 2019.

And an August 2021 bill sent to the Libermans shows a debt of $609,530, including fines for building code violations like leaving packages in the lobby and illegal gas lines to the unit, according to court filings.

An angry resident of the building said: “All residents, including me, are paying 30 per cent more while staying in this apartment for free. It’s outrageous.”

Liberman was unmoved by the outrage at the assessments of the other apartment owners.

“My heart goes out to her,” he told the Post.

He declined to comment on how much he might owe, saying it was for the court to decide.

Meanwhile, Liberman filed for bankruptcy in 2021 because he owed $123 million to a laundry list of creditors including his wife, children and a pest control company in the Hamptons, where he owns a townhouse.

Security video showed that Liberman spends most of his time at the print shop and not at the East Hampton estate, as court filings say he plans to claim in the bankruptcy case. He is seeking a dispensation for the townhouse that could allow him to keep it.

Liberman told the Post the Hamptons estate is the only home he owns. He and his wife transferred ownership of the print house apartment to an LLC in 2013 and then passed most of the business to their five children.

He said he paid the LLC $35,000 a month in rent, but would not say who got the money.