COLUMBUS – A court in New Jersey has dismissed a bankruptcy claim by the owners of a troubled East Side high-rise where residents were forced to leave their homes on Christmas Day because of maintenance issues that made the building uninhabitable.
Paxe Latitude will have to pay $1.5 million to the former tenants of Latitude Five25 apartments and more than $4.3 million in fines, according to the office, according to a release from the office of Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court District of New Jersey dismissed the claim made by Paxe Latitude, clearing the way the takeover of the property by receivers who will repair the property
“This decision checks all the boxes we set out for when we decided to track these owners all the way to New Jersey and delivers on our top priority: to ensure tenants have a fair settlement that puts money back in their pockets and ensure this ownership group hands over their keys so that a responsible management group can come in and make necessary repairs and investments in the property,” Klein said in a statement.
The Latitude Five25 apartment building was plagued by problems caused by neglected repairs and maintenance that made the towers uninhabitable since Christmas Day 2022.