Indiana Attorney General sues pair of Indianapolis apartment complexes
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The owners of two Indianapolis apartment complexes are being sued by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.
Rokia says over time, they’ve put thousands of people in danger. The lawsuit is against the companies that manage the Fox Club and the Lakeside Pointe apartments.
In the lawsuit, Rokita says a yearlong investigation found people living at the Lakeside Pointe complex suffered through fires, lack of heat and air conditioning, water damage, mold, broken windows and other uninhabitable conditions.
Additionally, the Marion County Public Health Department has issued Fox Lake more than 600 violation notices since 2017. Last month, Rokita said Fox Lake failed to pay a $1 million bill owed to Citizens Energy, putting tenants at risk of having their water shut off.
News 8 talked to a couple who lives at the Lakeside Pointe complex; they asked to conceal their identity for safety.
“They at one point said that we needed a doctor’s note saying we medically needed air conditioning,” one tenant said.
“There’s more homeless people in this complex at any given time than probably residents,” the other tenant said. “I mean, for real. In winter, there’s people that live in our hallways.”
Rokita wants the companies’ finances turned over and the board of directors removed. Tenants say it would be a step in the right direction, but they also said the situation may be too far gone to fix.
“It could be a nice apartment complex,” one of the tenants said. “It’s in a nice area; it’s just the people running it now, they need to go.”
Mayor Joe Hogsett is applauding Rokita’s move. He said in a statement:
“We welcome today’s news of the Attorney General’s office seeking a receivership over the Fox Club and Lakeside Pointe apartment complexes. This move will help protect residents while offering hope for improved management of the property. Making sure tenants remain stably housed will continue to be our top priority, and we’re thankful to community stakeholders for their longtime advocacy on behalf of their neighbors.”