AG Rokita's office reaches settlement with Indianapolis apartments that mistreated renters

Brittany Carloni, Indianapolis Star
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Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced Wednesday his office reached a settlement with the owners of three Indianapolis-area apartments on the mistreatment of renters.

The settlement was reached with Willow Brook Gardens Apartments, Wellington Apartments and Briergate Apartments in Indianapolis. Rokita’s office filed the lawsuit in July 2023 following complaints from tenants to the agency's consumer protection division.

IndyStar in 2023 reported that Willow Brook had received 22 Marion County Health Department cases against it since Beztak, a Michigan-based company, took over the property in June 2021.

Six tenants who spoke with IndyStar last year shared stories of neglect, mismanagement and hazardous living conditions at the apartment on Keystone Avenue.

Willow Brook Apartments are seen along 52nd Street, west of the intersection with Keystone Avenue, on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Indianapolis. The Indiana Attorney General's office has filed a lawsuit against the complex's owner, Willow Brook Gardens LLC, and property manager, Beztak. The suit alleges they've repeatedly failed to respond to maintenance calls, have let conditions become uninhabitable and have improperly billed tenants, among other wrongdoings.

In a statement, Rokita praised his office’s homeowner protection team for protecting the rights of Hoosier tenants.

“We strive to ensure equal access to housing opportunities for regular, everyday Hoosiers,” Rokita said in a statement.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the settlement includes the following:

  • A $70,000 rent credit payments to accounts of current tenants of Willow Brook, Wellington and Briergate Apartments. Some tenants at those apartments will receive mail notifications about additional credits of $250 to $2,000 if they are eligible.

  • $20,000 total in restitution to be allocated to people following a review of previously submitted consumer complaints.

  • Dismissal and expungement of 150-plus evictions in Warren and Washington Township Small Claims Courts.

  • A two-year monitoring period for the apartments where they must submit reports to the Attorney General’s homeowner protection unit on maintenance and open health department cases.

Because of a partial power outage in his unit at Willow Brook Apartments, leaving some rooms without electrical power, Tom McNamara has to run power strips and extension cords throughout his home. Multiple cords feed into one power strip in the bathroom in order to light his living room, seen on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Indianapolis.
Because of a partial power outage in his unit at Willow Brook Apartments, leaving some rooms without electrical power, Tom McNamara has to run power strips and extension cords throughout his home. Multiple cords feed into one power strip in the bathroom in order to light his living room, seen on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Indianapolis.

Current and former tenants that have questions about the settlement can contact the Attorney General’s Homeowner Protection Unit at HPU@atg.in.gov.

According to Rokita’s office, litigation against additional defendants in this case is still ongoing.

Rokita’s office has previously won efforts to protect Hoosier tenants. In 2022, the state banned JPC Affordable Housing Foundation from Indiana for seven years. The company was behind the notorious Lakeside Pointe apartments.

IndyStar archives contributed to this story.

Contact IndyStar's state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana AG Todd Rokita's office wins settlement for mistreated renters