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If it aint broker, dont fix it.

A cohort of Big Apple real estate brokers are suing the city over a new law that shifts the burden of costly broker fees away from tenants and the case could prevent the legislation from taking effect this summer as planned.

The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and other groups representing brokers and landlords filed suit Monday in an attempt to block the controversial bill, dubbed the Fairness in Apartment Rentals Act (FARE), which passed in the City Council with a veto-proof majority of 42-8 on Nov. 13.

“While the FARE Act may have the ‘right intention,’ it will wreak havoc on the New York City rental markets and unleash a host of unintended consequences, causing immediate and irreparable harm to the consumers it purports to protect, as well as harm brokers and landlords around the city,” the suit charges.

The law mandates that the person hiring the broker pay the fee, instead of the prospective tenant.

Supporters hope it will ease the city’s housing affordability crisis, while opponents argue it could actually lead to rent spikes.

While it is slated to take effect next July 180 days after City Council approval the Manhattan federal court lawsuit could halt the law until further notice, experts said.

Although the [real estate] industry has a high burden in court they [brokers] have a shot because the merits are on the side of the industry, New York City trial attorney and lobbyist David Schwartz told The Post, adding that a judge could potentially block the law from taking effect.

The law is another attempt by our local government to micro-manage the freedom of parties to enter into a contract and this law violates the contracts clause and the first amendment of the US Constitution, and also is pre-empted by state law, Schwartz added.

But attorney Altagracia Pierre-Outerbridge, whose practice focuses on landlord-tenant litigation, called the suit’s arguments long shots and an uphill fight against City Hall.

To block the law from taking effect, REBNYs attorneys must prove that it would cause irreparable harm to brokers, she said.

The First Amendment speech-restriction challenge has to overcome the fact that the law is not trying to suppress any viewpoint or idea, or force brokers to express an idea, said Pierre-Outerbridge, “and there are other city regulations of real estate brokers, like the part of the City Human Rights Law that outlaws certain discrimination in real estate.”

The last argument is that the government is not allowed to pass a law cancelling contracts,” Pierre-Outerbridge added, “but the government is allowed to pass laws that affect what contracts are allowed to say — especially going forward for contracts that havent been written yet.”

The city has roughly 20 days to respond to the lawsuit.

“The FARE Act is bad policy and bad law, REBNY lawyer and Senior Vice President Carl Hum charged.

This legislation will not only raise rents and make it harder for tenants to find housing, but it also infringes upon constitutional guarantees of free speech and contract rights — by barring brokers from posting rental listings online without first being hired by the landlord, Hum told The Post.

Mayor Eric Adams who did not veto or sign the bill by Fridays deadline, automatically making it law himself previously expressed skepticism surrounding the FARE Act, suggesting that property owners could merely pass the cost of hiring a broker to a tenant on the lease.

New York City is one of the only cities in which landlords can hire a broker and pass the hiring cost onto the tenant, part of a bevy of upfront costs that reached an all-time high average of $13,000 this year, per a recent analysis from rental website StreetEasy.

This bill is common sense, Brooklyn council member Chi Oss, who sponsored the bill, previously said of the legislation. It replicates how every other transaction exists in this country.

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Former White Sox pitcher, world champ Jenks dies

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Former White Sox pitcher, world champ Jenks dies

Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox who was on the roster when the franchise won the 2005 World Series, died Friday in Sintra, Portugal, the team announced.

Jenks, 44, who had been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer, this year, spent six seasons with the White Sox from 2005 to 2010 and also played for the Boston Red Sox in 2011. The reliever finished his major league career with a 16-20 record, 3.53 ERA and 173 saves.

“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago. He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend and teammate. He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts.”

After Jenks moved to Portugal last year, he was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. That eventually spread into blood clots in his lungs, prompting further testing. He was later diagnosed with adenocarcinoma and began undergoing radiation.

In February, as Jenks was being treated for the illness, the White Sox posted “We stand with you, Bobby” on Instagram, adding in the post that the club was “thinking of Bobby as he is being treated.”

In 2005, as the White Sox ended an 88-year drought en route to the World Series title, Jenks appeared in six postseason games. Chicago went 11-1 in the playoffs, and he earned saves in series-clinching wins in Game 3 of the ALDS at Boston, and Game 4 of the World Series against the Houston Astros.

In 2006, Jenks saved 41 games, and the following year, he posted 40 saves. He also retired 41 consecutive batters in 2007, matching a record for a reliever.

“You play for the love of the game, the joy of it,” Jenks said in his last interview with SoxTV last year. “It’s what I love to do. I [was] playing to be a world champion, and that’s what I wanted to do from the time I picked up a baseball.”

A native of Mission Hills, California, Jenks appeared in 19 games for the Red Sox and was originally drafted by the then-Anaheim Angels in the fifth round of the 2000 draft.

Jenks is survived by his wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, their two children, Zeno and Kate, and his four children from a prior marriage, Cuma, Nolan, Rylan and Jackson.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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In search of infield options, Yanks add Candelario

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In search of infield options, Yanks add Candelario

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees, digging for options to bolster their infield, have signed third baseman Jeimer Candelario to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the affiliate announced Saturday.

Candelario, 31, was released by the Cincinnati Reds on June 23, halfway through a three-year, $45 million contract he signed before the start of last season. The decision was made after Candelario posted a .707 OPS in 2024 and batted .113 with a .410 OPS in 22 games for the Reds before going on the injured list in April with a back injury.

The performance was poor enough for Cincinnati to cut him in a move that Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall described as a sunk cost.

For the Yankees, signing Candelario is a low-cost flier on a player who recorded an .807 OPS just two seasons ago as they seek to find a third baseman to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base, his natural position.

Candelario is the second veteran infielder the Yankees have signed to a minor league contract in the past three days; they agreed to terms with Nicky Lopez on Thursday.

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Dodgers’ Snell pitches to hitters, ‘looked good’

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Dodgers' Snell pitches to hitters, 'looked good'

LOS ANGELES — Pitchers Blake Snell and Blake Treinen are progressing toward a return for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Snell and Treinen each faced hitters Saturday, and Snell pitched two innings. Each could begin a rehab assignment after the All-Star break.

The 32-year-old Snell has pitched in two games for the Dodgers following his five-year, $182 million free agent deal after spending last season with the San Francisco Giants and three before that with the San Diego Padres. He is a two-time Cy Young Award winner.

“(Snell) looked good. He looked really good,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t know what the velo was but the ball was coming out really well. He used his entire pitch mix. I thought the delivery was clean, sharp, so really positive day.”

The Dodgers’ starting rotation has been injury-prone this season but is starting to get a boost from Shohei Ohtani, the two-way superstar who is working as an opener in his return from elbow surgery.

Treinen is looking to get back to his role in the back end of the bullpen. He threw one inning Saturday.

“Blake Treinen I thought was really good as well,” Roberts said. “Both those guys should be ready at some point in time shortly after the All-Star break.”

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