A 78-year-old woman’s attempt to stay in her rent-stabilized apartment may depend on whether New York’s highest court finds the value of her lease can be exempt from bankruptcy.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit certified questions to the New York Court of Appeals Monday, asking the state court to determine whether the value of a Mary Veronica Santiago-Monteverde’s lease constitutes a “local public assistance benefit” under New York Debtor and Creditor Law §282(2).