I'd definitely believe it was just business if there wasn't such an overblown reaction to the plumbing and occupancy issues a few days earlier. Also, I get that a lot of people think that more people should mean more rent, but in New York that doesn't look like the case with a family member. I'm sure different states have different laws - especially when we're talking about subletting or taking on a non-family roommate. My question is about whether the laws on the books apply to my situation in my state.
Regarding New York State Law:
Retaliation by Landlord: http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/nycode/RPP/7/223-b
Renter's Rights: http://www.ag.ny.gov/sites/default/f...ights_2011.pdf (pp. 13 for apartment sharing, pp. 27 for discrimination)
Human Rights Law covering a laundry list of discrimination/marital status issues: http://www.dhr.ny.gov/sites/default/files/doc/hrl.pdf

