Kalamazoo Gazette
Alamo Fire Victims Sue Landlord
By Craig McCool
Thursday, August 8, 2002
Nine families displaced by a fire at Alamo Hills Apartments in
March filed lawsuits Wednesday against the apartment complex.
They allege that the complex could have done more to protect
belongings they were forced to abandon in the aftermath of the
blaze.
Bernard Dempsey Jr., an attorney with Western Michigan Legal
Services, the group that represents the tenants, said Alamo Hills
gave the displaced families very limited opportunity to remove
belongings.
"They were given three days to get their stuff out, and if they
couldn't get moved out in three days, their stuff was discarded,"
Dempsey said. "Alamo Hills just threw it out."
Others, he said, lost possessions to looters after the March 23
blaze, which left 78 people temporarily homeless.
According to the lawsuit, the tenants were prohibited from
entering their apartments to retrieve possessions and were promised
that the complex would provide security.
A spokesperson for PM One, the company that manages Alamo Hills,
could not be reached for comment.
Nine separate suits were filed in 8th District Court, which
handles civil claims of less than $25,000.
"We're asking for the reimbursement of the value of their
property and a small amount for stress -- $3,000 on top of their
out-of-pocket expenses for their lost stuff," Dempsey said.
"They're not looking to get rich off this. A lot of this is
simply because they were treated so badly."
Dempsey said most of the tenants who filed suits still live at
the apartment complex, although many are trying to find homes
elsewhere.
"The new apartments (they were provided) were not in very good
shape. That's actually one of the claims," he said.
