A 32-year-old former Hunter College student named Lisa S. Palmer has reportedly been illegally squatting in her dorm room for the past two years and refuses to leave. According to a lawsuit obtained by BuzzFeed, the college dropout owes $94,000 in unpaid residential fees — and she doesn’t plan on leaving, or paying, anytime soon.
The lawsuit alleges that Palmer, a former Geography major at the school, failed to pay her dues after enrolling in student housing, and dropped out in 2016 when she was denied summer housing. Hunter College claims they've sent her repeated eviction notices over the years but that she’s chosen to ignore them. The lawsuit is asking for repayment of "a staggering $94,000 in unpaid residence hall charges on account of her continued occupancy" and maintains that only full-time students who maintain a minimum grade point average and keep current on their room and board fees can stay in the dorms.
Palmer, however, isn’t phased by the lawsuit.
"I am more determined than ever before to fight this lawsuit," she told BuzzFeed News, adding that she denies certain claims. "I stayed during the summer of 2016 following the expiration of my spring 2016 housing contract because I was permitted to do so by the Dean of Housing and/or Office of Residence Life. I also signed a Summer 2016 housing contract.”
She also told CBS2 that she doesn’t think having to pay the $94,000 is “realistic.”
“I don’t think paying it off is realistic, and I also don’t believe that I should have to pay it off,” she told a reporter at CBS2. “I feel like every semester is a new opportunity to register for courses,” she added. “I think I should just stay and fight the case.”
According to the New York Post, her dorm room includes a “messy, 100-square-foot single, which is adorned with a lava lamp, a dream catcher and piles of dirty dishes.”