Bianca Jagger Battles Eviction, Says NYC Apt. is Her Primary Residence
The chance to keep living in a rent-stabilized New York City apartment that costs a mere $4,614 per month has motivated Bianca Jagger to pursue a case that could help define what constitutes a legal residence.
The ex-wife of Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger was in the state’s highest court yesterday, seeking a reversal of her eviction last year from an apartment at 530 Park Avenue, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to the Associated Press.
“Basically, Ms. Jagger’s landlord evicted her from her Park Avenue apartment last year, arguing that she could not maintain a primary residence in the United States because she is a British citizen,” explains the City Room blog of the New York Times in an earlier article. “Ms. Jagger, the actress and human rights advocate, whose marriage to the British rocker Mick Jagger ended in 1980, has said the apartment is her primary residence.”
Jagger’s lawyer, Roger Olson, says that “primary residence” is a term of art, and points out that actors who are residents of the city often are absent for long stretches. Attorney Magda Cruz, who is representing Katz Park Avenue Corp. in the case, contends that Jagger’s visa, under federal immigration law, requires her to have a “principal residence” outside the U.S., AP reports.
“The Court of Appeals judges who heard the case Wednesday questioned the differences between the definitions of primary and principal residence, whether holding the visa issue against her would give Jagger fewer rights in New York than an illegal alien and whether a ruling against her would hurt illegal aliens or visitors on tourist visas staying in the U.S. for long-term medical treatment,” the news agency writes.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Bianca Jagger Evicted in NYC”
