Hi there - I've been searching around for an answer to this with no luck. So, apologies if it's old hat.
I signed a lease on a 3br, 1 bath back in 2014 in a non-rent regulated apartment in New York City, with an Indian couple who were here on student visas. The third room remained vacant for the first month and we did not pay rent for that room. The landlord was basically operating it on a per room basis, even though the lease stipulated we owed the collective rent. I didn't know any better. A third person moved in on the 2nd month, an Israeli guy. He signed the lease, and life went on. Eventually tensions were brewing and the Israeli guy couldn't stand the couple. He got along well with the Hasidic landlord so we all convinced them to move out and the Israeli guy's friend moved into the third room. I then decided I wanted to leave. I didn't like the place, the arrangement, and wanted to move back to Texas. So I did. I paid my last months rent and got verbal confirmation from the landlord that it would be ok if I left and the Israeli guy's friend moved in. So by then it would be all Israeli folks who (I believe) were either on visa or living here illegally at that point. But by then, about 4 months in, the living arrangement had strayed so far from the initial contract that I figured there was no way this landlord was trying to hold anyone to anything but paying rent each month.
However, after I left he apparently realized that there was no one in the unit with a Social Security number. The managing company freaked out and stopped accepting rent from the Israeli's. He implored them to leave and evidently filed an eviction proceeding. Now, I haven't checked in with the Kings County Civil Court yet, but this was over 3 years ago, and I was no where near the apartment. And I have clear written documentation that I was moving out of the place never to return. But they used my social security number and name when filing this eviction with the Civil court. And now an eviction pops up on my tenant screening report (so far, with the "Tenant Safe" software). Now, I'm still friends with the main Israeli dude who lived there and he says that they ended on fine terms. They paid the landlord and packed up as soon as they were able. But I'm curious, what can I do? Is there anyway for me to get this off of my record? Should I confront the court or the tenant background software or both? At this point I'm trying to avoid the landlord and/or court just to not open any can of worms. But I also have clear written documentation of my entire time at that apartment and all the shady things that went down. Please, any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!