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Priest allegedly used mentally ill tenant’s confessions to get her thrown out of NYC rent-stabilized apartment the church owned

Nypost · · 525 words · By Caitlin McCormack
Religious Misconduct Mental Health Vulnerability Housing Rights
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What to know about Religious Misconduct

Priest allegedly used mentally ill tenant’s confessions to get her thrown out of NYC rent-stabilized apartment the church owned See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 7
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center67%
Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Priest allegedly used mentally ill tenant’s confessions to get her thrown out of NYC rent-stabilized apartment the church owned See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleIt was undivine intervention.

Common ground

A priest used the sobbing confessions of a woman struggling with a psychotic episode to have her tossed from a rent-stabilized apartment in New York City that the church owned, a shocking lawsuit claims.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/27/us-news/priest-allegedly-used-mentally-ill-tenants…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 3
check_circle Corroborated 3
verified Verified By Reference 1
verified
Claim 1: “In October 2024, Avramovich’s doctor put her on a new medication that “slowly impacted” her symptoms until February of this year, when she spiraled into a full-on psychosis”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries on substance abuse, cannabis, and COVID-19, none of which mention Magdalena Max Avramovich or her medication timeline.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Armed forces play a crucial role when responding to crises and emergencies. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, militaries were readily deployed in many countries to assist the civilian medical pers…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_of_the_COVID-19_pandemi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_abuse
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Cannabis is not an approved therapeutic product, unless a specific cannabis product has been issued a drug identification number (DIN) and a notice of ...
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medica…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
Claim 2: “Magdalena Max Avramovich, 56, lived in her apartment complex owned by the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Manhattan for nearly three decades where she paid just $1,540 a month in rent”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general story is corroborated, the specific details regarding her age (56), the specific church (St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church), and the exact rent ($1,540) appear in the reporting of the same event, but only one distinct narrative source is providing these specific biographical details in the provided snippets.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Magdalena is the original version of the given name Magdalene and is used in West Slavic (Czech, Polish and Slovak), Hungarian, German, Lithuanian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Spanish, Georgian, and ot…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalena_(given_name)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 25, 2025 · Magdalena is a revered Slavic name with ancient roots that holds significant cultural and religious significance to Christians worldwide. Read on to learn more.
https://www.momjunction.com/baby-names/magdalena/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jul 18, 2025 · The meaning, origin and history of the given name Magdalena
https://www.behindthename.com/name/magdalena
check_circle
Claim 3: “Avramovich was diagnosed with schizophrenia during her first acute psychotic episode in 2004 — while she was living in the apartment complex.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results explicitly state that Avramovich was diagnosed with schizophrenia during her first acute psychotic episode in 2004 while living in the apartment complex.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · Avramovich was diagnosed with schizophrenia during her first acute psychotic episode in 2004, while she was living in the apartment complex.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1396802582480906
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Avramovich was diagnosed with schizophrenia during her first acute psychotic episode in 2004, while she was living in the apartment complex. But she claims ...
https://www.facebook.com/newsofafrica/posts/a-priest-has-bee…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 · A priest used the sobbing confessions of a woman struggling with a psychotic episode to have her tossed from a rent-stabilized apartment in ...
https://nypost.com/2026/05/27/us-news/priest-allegedly-used-…
info
Claim 4: “A church secretary emailed a “surrender agreement” to Avramovich on Feb. 14, which she signed.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim discusses the general lawsuit and the tenant's history, but does not mention a 'surrender agreement' or an email sent on February 14.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... A priest used the sobbing confessions of a woman struggling with a psychotic episode to have her tossed from a rent-stabilized apartment in ...
https://nypost.com/2026/05/27/us-news/priest-allegedly-used-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Magdalena Max Avramovich, 56, lived in her apartment complex owned by the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Manhattan for nearly three decades where she paid ...
https://www.aol.com/articles/priest-allegedly-used-mentally-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 11, 2026 ... A shocking act of sacrilege has been reported in Saltillo, Mexico, where the Blessed Sacrament and the tabernacle were stolen from the ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVwcR5QjL1l/
info
Claim 5: “Avramovich reached out to Zivojin Jakovljevic, a cathedral dean at St. Sava, “seeking confession and a prayer” on Feb. 10”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms the lawsuit and the parties involved (Avramovich and the church), but the specific detail of seeking confession on February 10 is not corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided text.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... Exclusive: Magdalena Max Avramovich, 56, whose church is also her landlord, claims in a lawsuit that the alleged sacramental violation was ...
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/nyc-rent…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... A priest used the sobbing confessions of a woman struggling with a psychotic episode to have her tossed from a rent-stabilized apartment in ...
https://nypost.com/2026/05/27/us-news/priest-allegedly-used-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Exclusive: Magdalena Max Avramovich, 56, whose church is also her landlord, claims in a lawsuit that the alleged sacramental violation was 'unconscionable,' ...
https://www.aol.com/articles/priest-accused-using-confession…
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Claim 6: “The next day, Jakovljevic asked Avramovich if he could share the “sensitive information” from her confession with the church board, which doubled as her landlord”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results quote the same sequence of events: that the day after the confession, Father Zivojin asked for permission to share the sensitive information with the board.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — During the confession, Father Zivojin appeared to console me. The very next day, however, he asked for my permission to share that sensitive information with [ ...
https://www.aol.com/articles/priest-accused-using-confession…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 · During the confession, Father Zivojin appeared to console me. The very next day, however, he asked for my permission to share that sensitive ...
https://www.inkl.com/news/priest-accused-of-using-info-from-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Aug 25, 2020 · Such a move would “lead to a violation of the rights of millions of Ukrainian Orthodox faithful,” said Patriarch Kirill, in a letter sent to the ...
https://www.facebook.com/DailyMonitor/posts/dodoviko-the-fac…
check_circle
Claim 7: “A priest used the sobbing confessions of a woman struggling with a psychotic episode to have her tossed from a rent-stabilized apartment in New York City that the church owned, a shocking lawsuit claims.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results from May 2026 report that a priest is accused in a lawsuit of using a woman's confessions during a psychotic episode to remove her from a rent-stabilized apartment owned by the church.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Our lawsuit list is a free, comprehensive consumer resource of active class action and mass tort lawsuits, covering defective drugs, product liability cases, medical devices, allegations of corporate …
https://www.classaction.org/list-of-lawsuits
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 13, 2026 · Learn how a civil lawsuit works, from filing your claim and serving the defendant to settlement, trial, and collecting your judgment. A lawsuit is a formal dispute between two or more p…
https://legalclarity.org/what-is-a-lawsuit-definition-types-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The term "lawsuit" is used with respect to a civil action brought by a plaintiff (a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions) who requests a legal remedy or equitabl…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawsuit
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.