A swanky Sutton Place co-op has gone to the dogs — including one who allegedly sunk its teeth into two terrified and exasperated neighbors, forcing them to flee, according to a $2 million lawsuit.
The sixth floor of 2 Sutton Pl. has been a toothy nightmare for Anthony and Barbara Liberatore, who live down the hall from board President Bill Lawson, his wife Melissa and their two large furbabies, Bodie and George.
Despite house rules requiring dogs to be leashed in common areas, Bodie has been allowed to roam free, and has cornered and accosted each of the Liberatores in separate sixth-floor incidents, they alleged in court papers.
In May 2021, Barbara, was walking from the elevator to her door when Bodie suddenly “bolted out of the Lawson Apartment (the front door was left ajar) and attacked Mrs. Liberatore,” according to the Manhattan Supreme Court filing.
“Bodie quite literally pinned Mrs. Liberatore up against the front door . . . viciously attacked her and bit her on the right wrist and upper right thigh.
“Her skin was punctured through two layers of clothing,” the couple claimed.
Barbara Liberatore promptly complained to the management company, who told her the Lawsons, who own the retail footwear chain Shoe-Inn, would be required to muzzle Bodie — but that didn’t happen, they said in the lawsuit.
In September, Bodie allegedly turned his sights on Anthony Liberatore, who was waiting for the elevator when he heard the dogs and tried to make a break for the safety of his apartment.
“But before Mr. Liberatore was able to open his front door, Bodie — unleashed and unmuzzled — bolted,” and pinned the resident against his door, according to the lawsuit. Bodie allegedly bit his lower back, leaving him bloodied.
The frightened pair, who have three small, senior pooches of their own, fled to their weekend house on Long Island.
They’re suing the Lawsons and the co-op, where two and three bedroom apartments typically sell for about $2 million, for failing to enforce the building’s rules “against a shareholder who happens to be the Board President.”
Lawson bristled at the accusations against 12-year-old Bodie.
“He’s never been off leash. There’s nobody in the building who can ever say he’s been off leash in the building, it’s just not true,” he told The Post.
While Lawson didn’t deny the bites, he said Barbara was crouched down petting another dog when Bodie ran out.
Bodie, who was a regular part of the co-op board meetings in the Lawson apartment for six years, was removed from Sutton Place the day after the September incident with Anthony Liberatore and now lives in East Hampton with Melissa Lawson.
“Luckily we have another home. It’s disruptive to our life, to our marriage. It stinks for everybody,” Bill Lawson said, adding while Bodie “shouldn’t be biting people, for sure,” the Liberatores lawsuit was “absurd.”
Lawson, who has lived at Sutton Place for 50 years, claimed the Liberatores were barely there and didn’t flee because of Bodie.
“This is a pied-à-terre for them.”
The Liberatores tried to resolve the matter before running to court but were unsuccessful, said their lawyer, Steven Sladkus, who said it didn’t matter if they kept the home as a pied-à-terre or not.
“If you came to the building once and a dog bit you would you be happy?” Sladkus said. “This is a very serious situation and my clients don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
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