AURORA, Colo. — An Adams County judge is ordering the owners of an Aurora apartment complex to help their former tenants find new lodging after the city deemed their building unsafe to live in.
The court order is in response to a class action lawsuit detailing a years-long history of concerns about the building's condition. Benjamin DeGolia is an attorney representing a former resident of the complex located at Colfax Avenue and Nome Street in Aurora.
"This is about landlords fundamentally failing to comply with their obligations under Colorado law and nothing else," DeGolia said.
Read the full lawsuit below:
His client was one of more than 300 residents suddenly forced to leave the apartment complex Tuesday after the city shut down the building for a history of code violations.
In the lawsuit filed Monday, attorneys detail frequent complaints about flooding, black mold, rodent infestations, busted heating and a lack of hot water at the complex as far back as 2021. The suit claims the problems came to a head earlier this year when property owners effectively abandoned the complex. They stopped paying the water bill and halted trash pickup.
The property management company, CBZ Management, said a recent takeover by a Venezuelan gang forced the city to shut down the property. Both the city and the lawsuit say that's not the case, and that out-of-state property owners were the ones who fostered unsafe conditions at the complex.
"These landlords also allowed an unsafe environment to persist and likely fomented criminal activity," DeGolia said. "Numerous residents complained that the exterior doors to the building were never secured, broken windows were never repaired, the gates to the building were never repaired and were often left open."
A district court judge granted a temporary restraining order against the property owners Wednesday, requiring the management company to provide a habitable unit or hotel room for any removed resident who requests one. The order will last two weeks unless a judge decides to extend it.
Read the full order below:
The lawsuit is ultimately seeking back rent for residents who have lived in the complex since 2022.