AJH Management, a Lakewood, New Jersey property management company owned by Asher Handler, has been named in several lawsuits, the most significant being a Pennsylvania disability discrimination case in which a $60,000 damages award was later vacated on appeal, and a Philadelphia class action over unlicensed rent collection that reached a proposed settlement in 2024. The company has also been sued for premises liability in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and in a smaller commercial fee dispute in California.
The Pennsylvania Disability Discrimination Case
Tenant April Crenney filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission against AJH Management, property owner 1400 Main Holdings, LLC, and property manager Shay Carelly, alleging they refused to reasonably accommodate her disabilities at a 376-unit apartment building. Crenney has common variable immunodeficiency and polyarthritis. She asked to install permanent metal grab bars in her shower; the landlord refused, offering only suction-cup bars as an alternative.1Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. Creeney v. 1400 Main Holdings, AJH Management Company, and Shay Carelly, PHRC Case No. 202101192
After an October 2023 hearing, the Commission’s Hearing Examiner ruled in Crenney’s favor on the grab bars, finding the landlord had not shown the modification was unreasonable. The Commission ordered AJH Management and its co-respondents to pay $60,000 in compensatory damages for humiliation and embarrassment, pay a $7,000 civil penalty to the Commonwealth, and complete fair housing training within 60 days.1Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. Creeney v. 1400 Main Holdings, AJH Management Company, and Shay Carelly, PHRC Case No. 202101192
Appeal Result: Damages and Penalty Vacated
On November 6, 2024, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania vacated both the $60,000 damages award and the $7,000 civil penalty, and sent the case back to the Commission for reconsideration.2PA Courts. 1400 Main Holdings v. Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, No. 155 C.D. 2024
The court identified two problems with the Commission’s reasoning. It called the characterization of the refusal as “ongoing” discrimination, based on the bars remaining uninstalled during two years of litigation, “erroneous and unsupported by the record,” holding the refusal was a single act. It also found no evidentiary basis for the civil penalty, because the Commission had relied only on testimony that the building was “somewhat high end” with 376 units instead of actual evidence of the respondents’ financial means. The court noted AJH Management had no prior history of PHRA violations and had stayed “actively involved in the process” after Crenney’s initial request.2PA Courts. 1400 Main Holdings v. Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, No. 155 C.D. 2024
The PHRC sought review from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. On April 29, 2025, the Supreme Court denied the petition for allowance of appeal.3PA Courts. Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Petition for Allowance of Appeal, No. 340 WAL 2024 The case is back before the Commission to recalculate damages on a single-act basis and to gather actual financial evidence before imposing any civil penalty.
Philadelphia Unlicensed Rent Class Action
In December 2021, tenants filed Barge et al. v. Eastwick Joint Venture, LLC et al. in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, naming AJH Management, LLC and six related entities as defendants. Philadelphia law bars landlords from collecting rent on any property that lacks a valid rental license from the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections.4City of Philadelphia. Philadelphia Code § 9-3902 The complaint alleged the property at 8500 Lindbergh Boulevard operated without a valid license during three separate windows: August 16–18, 2017; August 16, 2019 through November 19, 2020; and August 16–21, 2021. It also argued a prior license was defective because it did not specify each individual unit it covered. The plaintiffs sought damages for rents collected during those periods and alleged violations of the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.5ClassAction.org. Barge et al. v. Eastwick Joint Venture, LLC et al., Complaint
Settlement Terms
The parties reached a proposed class action settlement covering a broader group of properties than the original complaint. The settlement class includes current and former tenants who leased and paid rent at 7701, 7800, 8400, or 8500 Lindbergh Boulevard in Philadelphia before August 1, 2022. Eligible class members may receive rent credit vouchers. The deadline to submit a claim form or opt out was December 20, 2024.6Eastwick Joint Venture Settlement. Eastwick Joint Venture Settlement
Personal Injury and Other Suits
Steven Karr filed a personal injury suit against AJH Management, LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in March 2021, under diversity jurisdiction. The case was assigned to Judge Karen S. Marston with trial scheduled for January 2022. The publicly available docket does not reflect a final outcome.7Justia. Karr v. AJH Management, LLC, 2:21-cv-01342
In New Jersey, Linda Engelmann-eager sued AJH Management, Dollar Tree Stores, and Lakewood Madison Plaza LP in Ocean County Superior Court, alleging she was seriously injured on February 2, 2022, at 1700 Madison Avenue in Lakewood because of a dangerous condition on the property. The complaint alleged negligent maintenance, failure to warn, and inadequate security. Asher Handler was identified as manager of both AJH Management and the Lakewood Madison Plaza entity.8FAA News. Dollar Tree and Lakewood Plaza Property Lawsuit
A separate commercial matter, Partner Assessment Corporation v. AJH Management LLC, was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in May 2023. The consulting firm alleged AJH Management owed $20,200 for engineering, environmental, and energy consulting services. The case was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice in December 2023.9UniCourt. Partner Assessment Corporation vs AJH Management LLC
About the Company
AJH Management, LLC was incorporated on November 9, 2013, and is headquartered at 101 Chase Avenue, Suite 401, in Lakewood, New Jersey. Asher Handler is listed as the owner. The company also operates under the names IBuilders and Hunters Glen Apartments, and manages residential and commercial properties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The Better Business Bureau gives AJH Management an F rating and lists 35 total complaints, 24 of which went unanswered.10Better Business Bureau. AJH Management BBB Business Profile