We are Dan and Maria. The events that lead us to GoFundMe were unexpected and remain difficult to explain, but they’ve left us in need. Large legal expenses, lost income, replacing goods, and other recovery costs.

Tragically, on June 3, a dear person subletting our apartment for the summer died suddenly. She had no will or close family. We were out of the country when NYPD told us they had put a “seal” on our door. No one could enter, and the seal could not be removed without a court order. The process was slow – and required expensive legal services.

Kafkaesque is the word everyone uses to describe the situation. The procedures are opaque. When state law, county court, city police, and housing bureaucracies intersect, impasses mount up. Maria has created a YouTube channel to help explain how this happened.

We returned to NYC in August to carry on with professional and personal obligations (with attendant expenditures), despite having no access to our possessions for six months. We continued paying rent and utilities for a home we could not live in, aware that it was deteriorating due to the neglect forced upon it.

Not until November 26 did the seal get removed. And only then thanks to a sensible inspector who understood bureaucratic due diligence was happening at our expense. Otherwise, the process could have taken weeks more.

We have not moved back in yet, as extensive clean-up is required. The bureaucratic and legal saga, too, is likely not yet over. Our YouTube channel will continue to explain why.

Thank you for reading. We are grateful for all the friends who have helped us cope.