Comic sues building after orgy outcry

Comedian Ari Teman likes to crack jokes, but he says the lawsuit he has filed against the New York condominium where he lives is no laughing matter. Not even when it involves an orgy that left his apartment, and his good name as a renter, in ruins.

In a complaint filed with the Supreme Court of the State of New York by Teman’s attorney and obtained by The Times of Israel, the comedian claims that the actions of the building’s board, management company and superintendent, as well as his apartment’s owners (he’s subletting), were fraudulent, defamed him, caused him emotional distress and interfered with his business relations. He’s suing them for an undisclosed amount of damages and $2.7 million in exemplary damages.

Teman, who was in Israel on a Rocket Shelter Comedy tour this past summer, told The Times of Israel that his troubles began with what has become known in the media as “The Airbnb Sex Scandal.”

Last March, Teman innocently rented out his apartment through Airbnb.com, a popular website that connects short-term home letters and renters. Unfortunately, the person who rented the apartment used it for an orgy, whose many participants completely trashed the place, he said.

The story hit the local and national media big time, and Airbnb and Teman came to an agreement by which the website compensated the comedian for the damage caused by the unexpected sex party.

According to Teman, not long after rumors about how much he got from Airbnb started circulating, his landlords filed a nuisance claim against him in housing court. The claim, however, was thrown out.

But that was just the beginning of Teman’s problems.

He said that although he wants to move out of his apartment, where he no longer feels comfortable post-orgy, he can’t find a realtor who is willing to find him another place to rent.

“With a housing case on my record, no one is willing to rent to me, and all the realtors I’ve talked to have advised me that the only way I can continue to live in Manhattan is to buy an apartment,” Teman said.

The funnyman, who has a new web series called “TRNDNGNEWS” coming out this fall, also claimed that his professional reputation has been besmirched by the condo’s superintendent, who Teman says told reporters, TV producers and others seeking him that he is “a liar,” “insane,” and “troubled,” among other things.

‘Before this, I was the Jewish poster boy, and now I am the Jewish Lindsay Lohan’

And then there’s the bit about how the super apparently harassed Teman for being Jewish and having family in Israel.

“He always brought up my being Jewish and having close ties to Israel every time he interacted with me — when there was absolutely no reason to bring these things up,” Teman said.

The lawsuit makes mention of the superintendent allegedly calling the comedian a “dirty Jew” and telling him that he should go back to Israel, “where he belongs.”

The building’s management company, Mark Greenberg Real Estate, did not respond to a request for comment.

While they say that all publicity is good publicity — especially for entertainers — Teman said he only filed his lawsuit as a defensive move.

“I didn’t initiate any of this,” he said. “I thought there would be a few weeks of craziness following the Airbnb thing, but now the costs have been far longer and greater for me.”

Always one to find the humor in a situation, Teman poked fun at himself despite how distressed he said the ordeal has made him.

“Before this, I was the Jewish poster boy, and now I am the Jewish Lindsay Lohan,” he quipped, referring to the scandal-plagued Hollywood starlet.

And his fast education in the ways of the American legal system since returning from his comedy tour in Israel has got him to thinking.

“The US legal system makes me want to go ahead and finally complete that Nefesh B’Nefesh application procedure,” he joked.