John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono is suing a board of property shareholders over allegations they hindered the sale of her empty $6 million (£3.7 million) New York penthouse.

The artist/singer filed suit against the housing co-operative committee of apartment building 49 Downing St at Manhattan Civil Court on Wednesday (16Oct13).

In papers she claims that when she tried to sell the home to a family with children earlier this year (13), the board imposed "arbitrary conditions", which forced the potential buyers to pull out, according to the New York Post.

Ono, who bought the apartment for her son Sean Lennon in 1995, accuses board members of wanting to keep it vacant while she maintains payments for the building's upkeep.

The 80 year old resides in the Big Apple's famous Dakota building, where Lennon was fatally shot in 1980.