Landlord Agrees to $515K Settlement After Poisoning Children with Lead Exposure

New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured a $515,000 settlement with a Buffalo landlord accused of failing to eliminate lead paint hazards in dozens of rental properties, many of which housed low-income families.

The agreement, finalized in Erie County Supreme Court, ends a lawsuit brought in March 2023 against Farhad Raiszadeh and his companies, collectively known as the Raiszadeh Group. The lawsuit alleged the landlord neglected widespread safety issues that left tenants, including children, exposed to dangerous levels of lead.

“Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and healthy home, free from the devastating and irreversible harms of lead poisoning,” said Attorney General James. “For years, Farhad Raiszadeh and the Raiszadeh Group failed to protect tenant families despite receiving repeated warnings and violations. Today, we are ensuring that hundreds of thousands of dollars will be invested directly into making these homes safe.”

Under the settlement terms, $70,000 will go into a tenant relief fund and $445,000 will be used for lead hazard cleanup. The landlord also agreed to ongoing oversight to verify that all affected properties meet safety requirements moving forward.

Investigators from the Attorney General’s Office found that the Raiszadeh Group has operated 78 Buffalo properties, most of them in predominantly minority and low-income neighborhoods. Officials reported that 75 percent of the properties had been cited for dangerous conditions and all were believed to contain lead paint. Between 2017 and 2025, at least 14 children were confirmed to have been poisoned by lead in these residences.

James emphasized that the settlement marks progress in addressing unsafe housing conditions that put Buffalo families at risk of lifelong health problems.

Landlord Agrees to $515K Settlement After Poisoning Children with Lead Exposure