A New York man accuses his business partner of manipulating immigration officials to seize property.
A story is unfolding in New York City where a personal relationship has turned into a legal battle, and the immigration system—according to the plaintiff—has become a tool in the fight for expensive real estate.
Patrick Moran, 46, a specialist in restoration and preservation of historic properties, claims in his lawsuit that his partner, Nicholas Kjos, 45, a high-profile realtor, effectively used his immigration status as leverage. According to the case file, the men were together for nearly two decades: they lived together, shared a household, bought property, and got a dog.
The conflict, as described in court documents and the publication, erupted during the renovation of a three-story home valued at approximately $4.3 million. The renovations dragged on for years and, according to Moran, became a source of constant stress and arguments. At one point, the plaintiff claims, Kjos began hurling insults and threatening to call immigration authorities, calling his partner a “worthless immigrant” and threatening to turn him in.
Moran claims he initially attributed this to stress and the “renovation hell” he was going through, hoping the relationship would hold up. But then, according to his version, Kjos initiated legal proceedings to evict Moran from their shared home. After this, the documents state, eight armed ICE officers came to the apartment and detained Moran. He spent the next month moving between detention centers and detention centers, and eventually ended up in Ireland—effectively after deportation proceedings.
Moran's claim is simple and stark: he believes he was “removed” from the US not by accident, but in order to gain sole control of real estate registered in Kjos's name due to Moran's immigration status. The plaintiff's lawyer speaks of “ICE being used as a weapon” and insists that this is not just a personal tragedy but also an attempt to redistribute assets.
According to the publication, Kjos did not respond to journalists' inquiries.
Now Moran is trying to reclaim at least what he considers his from Ireland: he's seeking legal recognition of his rights to a share of the joint assets and seeking a ruling on the dog the couple acquired during their marriage. Moran himself, however, says he still considers the United States his home and hopes to return someday.
