A Manhattan woman says she shouldn’t have to give up her West 23rd Street home just because she’s no longer in a relationship with the married man who bought it for her, according to a lawsuit.
Manuela Wingruber, 44, says she was “involved in an intimate relationship” with married Staten Islander Samuel Brettler in 2006 when he bought the one-bedroom apartment for her, she claims in Manhattan Supreme Court papers filed last week.
Brettler, 37, allegedly told Wingruber he was “separated from his wife,” when he wasn’t, she charges in court papers.
The pair ended their affair last year, and now, Wingruber says, Brettler wants to give her the boot.
She accuses Brettler of forming a “sham” realty company to force her out of the unit, according to the legal claim.
Wingruber says she’s been the only person living in the apartment for the past seven years, invested money in the space and “is entitled to physically occupy and retain possession of the unit.”
Brettler, who shelled out more than $743,000 for the apartment, did not return requests for comment.