The sitcom television show Friends, follows a group of friends in
their twenties living in New York City. Much of the show’s comedy stems
from the group’s struggle to make money in NYC. A main character,
Monica, was trying to make it as a chef, going through a variety of low
paying jobs, like waitressing. However, much of the show is filmed in
her large, two-bedroom, West Village apartment. It begs the question,
how can a twenty-something waitress in NYC afford a huge West Village
apartment? The answer was given when her landlord, Treeger, threatened
to evict Monica because she was illegally subletting the apartment from
her grandmother to keep a rent-controlled price. Monica had lived there
for five years at this point and because she was never allowed to live
in the apartment, was a trespasser. However, when Joey taught Treeger to
ballroom dance, he let her continue to live there for over ten years.
Does Monica have a claim for adverse possession?