A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that a man who moved out of his Jersey City apartment isn't on the hook for four months of rent his ex-wife racked up after their lease expired, reversing a lower court decision that had ordered him to pay more than $8,500. The case centered on Timothy Proudman, who had told his landlord in writing that he was done paying once the lease ran out — only for his ex-wife to stay in the unit anyway.
A Lease, a Split, and an Unpaid Balance
Proudman and his ex-wife, Andrea Proudman Reilly, had signed a 15-month lease with landlord Bekir Kulozu covering a $3,000-a-month apartment in Jersey City, according to NJ.com. That lease ran from January 26, 2023, through April 30, 2024, and Proudman paid all the rent owed during that stretch. Kulozu later proposed a lease renewal with a rent increase, but Proudman had other plans — he moved out before the lease ended and notified Kulozu that he was leaving.
On May 2, 2024, two days after the lease's end date, Proudman emailed Kulozu to make his position explicit: he would not renew the lease and would not be responsible for rent once it ended, the outlet reports. Reilly, however, remained in the apartment for another four months without paying rent, before eventually being evicted. Kulozu, representing himself, filed a case in the Special Civil Part of Superior Court in Hudson County in November 2024, seeking four months of unpaid rent, late fees, and damages for belongings left behind in the unit.
Trial Court Sided With the Landlord
A Superior Court judge in Hudson County initially ruled in Kulozu's favor, finding that Proudman owed $8,523.56 in back rent plus court costs, and allowing the landlord to keep the couple's $4,500 security deposit. The trial court reasoned that Proudman's status as a cosigner remained in effect until he legally separated himself from that obligation, per the report. Proudman pushed back on two fronts: that his liability ended the moment the 15-month lease expired, and that Kulozu had illegally retained the security deposit.
Appeals Court Reverses Course
Appellate judges Jack M. Sabatino and Lisa Perez Friscia sided with Proudman, ruling that the trial court had erred in finding him liable for rent that accrued after the lease term ended. The judges considered his written notice to Kulozu that he had moved out, and they determined he was not liable under a month-to-month holdover tenancy because Reilly alone continued occupying the apartment after the lease expired, according to the outlet's reporting. The appellate panel did not resolve the security deposit dispute outright — it sent that piece of the case back to the trial court for reconsideration.
Neither side offered comment for the record. Kulozu did not respond to a request for comment, and Proudman's attorney likewise did not respond, the outlet noted. The case is identified in New Jersey court records as Bekir Kulozu v. Timothy Proudman, et al., filed under docket number DC-017038-24 in Hudson County. The dispute now returns to the trial court, where a judge will have to sort out who is entitled to the $4,500 deposit that started this whole fight.
