Attorney General James Secures Major Settlement to Protect Buffalo Families from Dangerous Lead Hazards  Attorney General James Secures Major Settlement to Protect Buffalo Families from Dangerous Lead Hazards  

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a major win in her office’s fight to protect Buffalo children and families from dangerous lead poisoning in their homes. In March 2023, Attorney General James sued Buffalo landlord Farhad Raiszadeh and his associated companies (Raiszadeh Group) for failing to properly address lead-based paint hazards. An agreement, filed today in Erie County Supreme Court, will resolve the lawsuit and require the Raiszadeh Group to correct unsafe and deteriorating conditions at dozens of rental properties they own in Buffalo, many of which are located in low-income neighborhoods. The Raiszadeh Group will pay $515,000 in penalties, including $70,000 to create a tenant relief fund and $445,000 for lead hazard remediation, and submit to extensive oversight to ensure that its buildings are safe for current and future tenants.  

“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.”  

Since 2008, the Raiszadeh Group has owned and managed 78 buildings in Buffalo, primarily rented to low-income families of color. An Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation found that the Raiszadeh Group failed for years to properly address peeling and deteriorating lead paint, despite persistent warnings and citations from the City of Buffalo and Erie County. These violations, documented in hundreds of city and county inspections since 2008, contributed to the lead poisoning of 14 children living in Raiszadeh Group properties between 2017 and 2025. In total, 75 percent of the 78 properties Raiszadeh Group owned and managed were cited by inspectors for conditions conducive to lead poisoning, and all of its buildings were presumed to contain lead paint in some capacity.  

Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause serious and irreversible health problems, particularly for children under the age of six. Even low levels of lead in blood can affect brain development, causing learning disabilities, attention deficits, and long-term harm. Buffalo has one of the highest rates of childhood lead poisoning in the nation, with children of color and those living in low-income neighborhoods disproportionately affected.    

To resolve these issues, Attorney General James is requiring Raiszadeh and his companies to:  

• Pay $70,000 to fund a tenant relief fund, which will be disbursed to families of children poisoned by lead in his properties;
• Spend at least $445,000 on certified hazard inspections and remediation work;
• Hire an EPA-certified risk assessor to evaluate properties within 30 days;
• Bring on a third-party monitor to oversee all work; and
• Submit quarterly progress reports to OAG, Erie County, and the City of Buffalo.   

All existing city and county housing code violations related to lead must be corrected within 60 days, and all lead remediation work must be completed within 18 months. If remediation work requires tenants to temporarily relocate, the landlords must provide safe, nearby accommodations at no cost or offer compensation to end their lease.   

The settlement also prohibits the sale of any identified properties until they have been certified lead-safe, requires annual third-party inspections of all New York rental properties owned by the defendants for the next four years, and mandates that every tenant receive an EPA-approved lead hazard disclosure form, a lead safety information pamphlet, and copies of any inspection reports for their home. If the Raiszadeh Group fails to comply with the settlement terms, it faces an additional suspended penalty of up to $445,000 plus interest. 

Earlier this week, Attorney General James met with elected officials, community leaders, and advocates to discuss lead poisoning prevention and lead remediation efforts in Buffalo and Western New York. At the meeting, Attorney General James highlighted her office’s ongoing work to hold landlords and property managers accountable for lead paint violations and heard from attendees on strategies for addressing the lead crisis. 

“Lead poisoning is insidious. It steals futures from kids, causing severe cognitive impairments, reduced IQ, memory loss, delayed language and speech development, and overall, a more challenging life,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. “Lead poisoning is a problem that we need to approach from every possible angle. The Erie County Department of Health supports the medical community in blood level testing; families with case management; property owners and renters with LeadSafe training the LeadSafe Tool Borrowing Program. I thank the Attorney General for supporting these efforts through litigation, and for helping affected families to find a resolution, while supporting the health and well-being of future renters by holding landlords accountable.”

“No family should have to worry about their children being exposed to lead in their own home,” said Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon. “I thank Attorney General Letitia James for her leadership in holding landlords accountable and protecting Buffalo families, and we will continue working with our partners at the state and county level to make housing safer for every family in our city.”

“I am grateful to Attorney General James and her team for securing a significant settlement and implementing remedies in a timely fashion that will protect Buffalo families from the toxic and life-altering effects of dangerous lead hazards,” said Senator April Baskin. “After consistently ignoring these hazards and violating lead safety laws, resulting in children suffering lead poisoning from living in substandard housing, the reckless practices of the Raiszadeh Group are being held accountable. As the mother of two school-aged children and with my personal experience of seeing the effects of lead poisoning on my own family members, I commend Attorney General James for shining a light on this insidious problem, which frequently and disproportionately affects low-income residents and people of color.”

“Lead poisoning is one of the most serious public health challenges facing cities like Buffalo, where old and poorly maintained housing stock puts thousands of children at risk,” said Senator Sean Ryan. “The consequences of lead exposure can last a lifetime, and families have carried the burden for far too long. I commend Attorney General James for her leadership in holding negligent landlords accountable and working to protect vulnerable families. Settlements like this are a step toward breaking the cycle of lead poisoning and ensuring every child in New York can grow up healthy and safe.”

“Fourteen children. Fourteen children were found to have lead poisoning in part because a landlord failed to address a lead safety hazard, despite the efforts from the City of Buffalo and Erie County to hold this landlord accountable,” said Assembly Majority Leader Cystal Peoples-Stokes. “Thankfully, we have an Attorney General in Letitia James who will not back down from landlords who prey upon the residents of low-income neighborhoods. I applaud Attorney General James’ determination in holding these landlords accountable and also finding some justice for the affected families.”

“For far too long, Farhad Raiszadeh evaded local regulations to maintain safe and habitable rental units, with dire consequences for families,” said Anna Falicov, Coordinator, Buffalo and Erie County Lead Safe Task Force. “The Buffalo and Erie County Lead Safe Task Force thanks Attorney General James for her continued and steadfast commitment to lead poisoning prevention and holding landlords accountable for their failure to abide by law. We hope Buffalo rental property owners take heed, comply with local notices and remediate lead hazards to protect children from the irreversible effects of lead.” 

“Far too many Buffalo children have suffered from preventable lead poisoning due to unsafe housing, and Attorney General James’ resolution today is an important step toward justice for families and accountability for landlords who neglect their responsibilities,” said Breana Hargrave, Program Coordinator, Lead716. “At Lead716, we work to minimize the harmful effects of lead after an exposure, but our greater hope is to see fewer exposures and more toddlers receiving the intervention services they need to thrive in their later years.”

“We appreciate Attorney General James for centering the needs of community and holding Raiszadeh Group and landlords accountable who put profits over people,” said Jessica Bauer Walker, Executive Director, Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo. “Lead poisoning has had far-reaching impacts on the lives and well-being of children and families- from health issues to learning disabilities to school suspension to unemployment.  We hope this settlement mitigates some of the harm caused to directly impacted children and that we can work collectively so all Buffalo families have access to healthy, safe, affordable housing.”

“The Attorney General's office has been a powerful partner in preventing childhood lead poisoning in Buffalo," said Betsy Constantine, President and CEO, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. “Everyone has a role to play in protecting our children from lead hazards. We are especially grateful for Attorney General James' commitment to ensuring that properties are safe and healthy for all our community's children.”

“We express our deepest gratitude to Attorney General James and her dedicated team for achieving a pivotal victory in the fight against lead poisoning in our community by ensuring accountability from responsible parties,” said Rahwa Ghirmatzion, Senior Fellow of the Just Solutions Collective. “This achievement is particularly significant given that the lead contamination problem in Buffalo, particularly affecting low to moderate-income neighborhoods, is even more severe than the crisis in Flint, Michigan. I am hopeful that this legal success will serve as a crucial catalyst, accelerating our efforts toward a comprehensive and swift resolution of Buffalo’s lead crisis.”

“Lead exposure is one of the most preventable causes of developmental delays and disabilities in young children,” said Rachel Bonsignore, Director of Liftoff Western New York. “Protecting children from the lifelong impacts of lead is a shared community responsibility, and ensuring safe homes is essential to giving every child the healthiest start possible. We are grateful to Attorney General James for her continued vigilance in holding property owners accountable and for taking action that helps children and families in Buffalo, and across New York, thrive.”

“All children regardless of color, family resources, location of residence, or any other factor, deserve to live in a safe physical environment that does not impede their developmental potential,” said Dr. Melinda S. Cameron, Former Director of the Western New York Regional Lead Poisoning Prevention Resource Center. “The youngest children with their natural explorative behaviors remain the most vulnerable to lead effects, which can have lifelong health and behavioral consequences. It is up to us as caring, responsible adults to ensure that all available legal and judicial actions are taken to protect their futures and the future of our city. I thank Attorney General James for her critical actions in the fight against childhood lead poisoning.”

Today’s settlement is the latest in Attorney General James’ efforts to hold landlords and property managers accountable for violating childhood lead poisoning prevention laws in New York. In December 2024, Attorney General James secured $6.5 million from Lilmor Management, one of New York City’s worst landlords, for persistent violations of lead paint, mold, and housing maintenance laws. In March 2024, Attorney General James reached a $175,000 settlement with Syracuse landlord Todd Hobbs for failing to address lead-based paint hazards at his rental properties, where most tenants were low-income families. In February 2024, Attorney General James reached a $310,000 settlement with Syracuse landlord William D'Angelo for repeated and persistent violations of lead safety laws at 22 rental properties. In June 2022, Attorney General James shut down Syracuse landlord John Kiggins and his company, Endzone Properties, Inc., for repeatedly violating lead paint laws and failing to address lead paint hazards, which resulted in the lead poisoning of 18 children living in Endzone properties in Syracuse. In November 2022, Attorney General James obtained a substantial  judgement in restitution and penalties to fund ongoing childhood lead poisoning prevention programs administered by the City of Buffalo and Erie County, as a result of a September 2020 lawsuit against a group of individuals and companies in the Buffalo region for illegally allowing lead paint-related hazards to proliferate in their rental properties.   

The Attorney General thanks the Erie County Department of Health and City of Buffalo Permit and Inspection Services Department for their assistance in this matter.  

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Patrick Omilian of the Environmental Protection Bureau, with support from Assistant Attorneys General Ayah Badran, Ashley M. Gregor, and Steve Nguyen, Special Assistant Attorney General Sharde Slaw, Environmental Scientists Jennifer Nalbone and Isabel Murphy under the supervision of Bureau Chief Lemuel M. Srolovic. Additional assistance was provided by Investigators Ken Peters and Jennifer Terranova of the Investigations Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes. The Environmental Protection Bureau is a part of the Division for Social Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.