AG Rokita Persists in Fight Against Dangerous, Unlawful Conditions at Apartment Complexes
Attorney General Todd Rokita filed a lawsuit today against JPC Affordable Housing Foundation, Inc. for their role in allowing certain Indianapolis apartment complexes in Indianapolis to fall into egregious disrepair, endangering the health, safety, and welfare of thousands of residents. The lawsuit was filed in conjunction with lawsuits by Citizens Energy and the City of Indianapolis against the same entity.
“Despite some fairly weak laws in Indiana for state government involvement in this area, we continue our efforts to protect tenants who are being unfairly treated and who are being subject to downright dangerous conditions,” said Attorney General Rokita. “A lot of this comes down to simple, honest leadership—bringing parties together to forge a solution—and our team has done a great job with that multiple times in situations like this.”
In March, Attorney General Rokita announced $7.5 million in relief for residents of Lakeside Pointe at Nora and Fox Club Apartments. Following the sale of those properties to another entity, the new owners committed to performing significant repairs and resolving existing emergency health department cases.
This new lawsuit raises similar allegations to those raised with Lakeside Pointe and asserts that JCP has not performed their legal duties as a nonprofit and failed to address dangerous and unlawful conditions at apartment complexes on the southside and westside of Indianapolis.
Citizens Energy alleges in their lawsuit that the corporate entities at these complexes have failed to bill their water bill, amounting to a significant arrearage. Citizens is a public charitable trust dating back to 1887 that services about 800,000 people throughout the Indianapolis area.
“There are many stakeholders and residents who are impacted by these allegations. The lawsuits filed by my office, Citizens, and the City will allow for the swift and efficient resolution of these important issues,” said Attorney General Rokita. “I am grateful for the hard work of Chase Haller, deputy attorney general, and the collaboration with Citizens and the City, in pursuing this solution.”
Tenants who have experienced problems during the course of their lease are encouraged to file a consumer complaint at www.indianaconsumer.com. Tenants and community advocates have played a crucial role in assisting with this important investigation.