Hamptons squatter 'trashed her rental home' and refuses to move out under pandemic-related eviction ban, leaving her Holocaust-survivor landlord without a home

A Holocaust survivor returned to her home in the Hamptons to find that her tenant was still there, refusing to leave, and had 'totally destroyed' some of her furniture, according to court documents.

Genya Markon, 78, spends the winters in Israel and the summers at her $675,000 home in Hampton Bays.

She had leased out the home in July 2020, and the lease expired on June 18.

But Markon says she flew into the U.S. only to find her tenant, Julie Rinke, still there.

Julie Rinke was seen on Thursday returning to a home owned by Holocaust survivor Genya Markon, 78 - which Rinke was supposed to vacate on June 18. Markon has now taken Rinke to court to try and force her from the property

Rinke has refused to comment when asked by DailyMail.com why she was still in the house

Markon's home in Hampton Bays was leased in July 2020, and was due to be handed over on June 18. Rinke, however, remains in the property

Rinke, a real estate broker, is accused by Markon of taking advantage of laws against eviction which were designed to prevent landlords taking advantage during the pandemic. Markon says her short-term lease does not apply

Markon's lawyer, Anthony W. Cummings, filed a suit in Suffolk Supreme Court at the end of June seeking Rinke's ouster as well as damages.

'She traveled all the way from Israel to spend the summer in her home and she has a tenant who won't vacate,' explained Rinke, according to The New York Post.

'Genya is in a real bad spot.'

On Thursday Rinke, a real estate agent, was spotted by DailyMail.com returning to the three-bedroom, two bathroom property.

She has not responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

A Southampton town police officer is seen talking to a neighbor, next to the home where Rinke is refusing to leave

Southampton Police were seen at the property on Thursday

Markon's home, set back from the road, is where she usually spends her summers but now she says she has nowhere to go

Markon said that Rinke is taking advantage of pandemic protection against eviction, designed to prevent unscrupulous landlords in New York from forcing people from their homes during the global crisis.

But the protection should not apply to short-term leases, Markon said.

'My tenant, who is also a real estate agent, refuses to leave in spite of the fact that she only has a seasonal lease and is not protected by the hardship application she filed,' Markon said.

Cummings questioned Rinke's qualifications, claiming in court filings that she 'is conducting herself in a bad faith, dishonest and manipulative way to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic and the mass confusion and gridlock in the lower courts all in an effort to block surrendering possession of the Premises.'

Cummings told the New York Post: 'All you have to do is check a box and you can stay for free until at least August 31st.

'What is it? The honor system? It is easy to abuse. There's no penalty for lying, and no evidence to prove.'

Rinke is also accused of failing to protect the property.

Some of Markon's belongings have been 'totally destroyed' and Markon found 'piles of garbage' festering outside the house.

Rinke also took down paintings already hanging in the space, Markon claimed.

She said that some of the paintings 'are quite valuable including a family portrait by the well-known Ukrainian painter David Burliuk.'

Cummings concluded: 'She displaced Genya and refuses to give back her home.

'Genya flew in all the way from Israel and now she's the one without a home.'

Cummings is also representing the owners of a home in Water Mill, who are trying to evict their over-staying tenants.

Stephanie and her husband Paul Pion, the chief administrative officer of the Manhattan finance firm, have remained at their $10,000-a-month Water Mill rental despite their two-year lease expiring on May 31. 

In a lawsuit filed against the Pions in June, the owner of the Long Island property claimed the wealthy couple were exploiting New York's Covid-19 moratorium barring eviction and refusing to vacate the house. 

The filing claims the Pions have another home in Manhattan and have been using 'shifty' means to stay at the rental - which has also allegedly been in a state of disarray. 

But Stephanie, 39, has insisted 'there's no truth' to the allegations, claiming she's just trying to care for her two children, ages six and 11, while they search for a new place to live.  

Stephanie Pion broke down in tears on Thursday as she addressed claims that she and her husband Paul Pion, the chief administrative officer of Cantor Fitzgerald, were squatting at a $5million Hamptons house 

The mother-of-two, 39, tearfully explained she and her family have nowhere else to go, before dropping to her knees on the driveway and pleading for 'more time'

Stephanie and Paul have been renting out a property in Water Mill for the past two years for $10,000 a month, but a court document claims their lease ended on May 31. They are pictured in an Instagram post

'I have two kids,' she said tearfully before dropping to her knees on the driveway and pleaded for mercy. 'I'm just trying to take care of them. I've been trying to leave. I just need more time.' 

In his filing, the owner of the home revealed he found a buyer for the house and expressed concerns that the Pions could jeopardize the $4,970,000 sale, which was scheduled to close on Tuesday. 

But a person close to the family told DailyMail.com that the Pions' tenancy had been open-ended, and that the landlord failed to give them appropriate notice that their lease was being terminated which would allow for an orderly transition to leave the house.

'Realizing now that they didn't give proper notice, the owner is scrambling to blame someone and the purchaser is using bully tactics to force their hand,' the Pion family associate said.  

Homeowner Damian Krause has accused the couple of refusing to leave Water Mill house, but a source close to the Pions say they were not given adequate notice to vacate the property. Krause is pictured above with his wife Sharon in Water Mill, New York in 2012

The homeowner, Damian Krause, further claimed the couple had refused to allow potential buyers to tour the home and even once removed a lawn sign saying the property was 'IN CONTRACT.'  

Earlier this week a source told the New York Post that the house looked like an episode of Hoarders, referring to the TV series that documents people who fill their homes from floor to ceiling with trash and belongings. 

An appraiser who was eventually let into the house also allegedly described the place as a 'mess' and said 'the occupant was crazy.' 

In photos obtained by DailyMail.com, however, the house did not appear to show such signs of damage or clutter. 

The filing painted the Pions as an 'intolerable nuisance', hosting large parties, and causing damage to the home through 'unauthorized alterations, misuse and overuse of the household systems and lack of routine maintenance.'