White Marsh apartment tenants sue management company

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Tenants of a White Marsh apartment complex filed a $2.5 million class-action lawsuit against the building’s management company, claiming a severe mold and mouse infestation have made them sick and rendered their homes uninhabitable.

Six tenants of the Ross Ridge Apartments are suing Morgan Properties Inc. for neglecting the infestations and failing to fix holes in walls exposed to the outside, faulty plumbing and leaky ceilings.

The residents have been bitten by mice, snakes and insects, and the mold has made breathing difficult, said attorney Mona Carpenter of The Law Firm LLC.

“They have promised to fix things and they never do,” Carpenter said. “We think there are a lot of tenants that for some reason or another are afraid to come forward.”

An official of Morgan Properties Inc., which is based in King of Prussia, Pa., and manages 13 complexes in the metropolitan region, declined comment, citing the pending litigation.

County code inspectors have found mice feces, mold infestations and floors caving in, according to records. One tenant named in the complaint said she complained to management for three years about the mouse infestation.

Four of the tenants have moved, and the remaining two can’t afford to, Carpenter said. Glen McNeal, who moved into his unit in 1999, said the mold has worsened his emphysema — which now constricts him to oxygen tanks. When it rains, McNeal said pots can’t keep water from the warped floor and mildewed carpet. The former truck driver said he suffered an almost fatal panic attack after awaking to find three mice in his bed one night.

The management offered twice to move him to a different unit, according to inspection records, but he refused because of the expense, he said.

“If you look at it from the outside, it looks upper class,” McNeal said. “When you go inside, my God.”

The tenants, who have all continued to pay rent according to Carpenter, are seeking $1 million in compensation for rent, moving and medical expenses. The suit, filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court, also asks for $1.5 million to enable five tenants to terminate their leases without liability and repair another tenant’s unit.

Other Morgan Properties:

» Forest Hill Apartments, Annapolis

» Oak Grove Apartments and Townhomes, Baltimore

» The Carlyle, Baltimore

» The Marylander, Baltimore

» Towson Crossing, Baltimore

» Willowbrook Apartments,

Baltimore

» Glen Mar Apartments, Glen Burnie

» Glen Ridge Apartments, Glen Burnie

» Villages of Montpelier, Laurel

» Chase Lea, Owings Mills

» The Village of Chartleytowne, Reisterstown

» Chase Ridge, Silver Spring

Source: www.morgan-properties.com

jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com

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