Mainline Printing and Kent Lindemuth's KDL Inc. reach settlement over White Lakes Mall demise

Tim Hrenchir, Topeka Capital-Journal
·2 min read
A settlement agreement was reached in the lawsuit Mainline Printing filed last year against KDL Inc., owner of the former White Lakes Mall property.
A settlement agreement was reached in the lawsuit Mainline Printing filed last year against KDL Inc., owner of the former White Lakes Mall property.

A settlement agreement has been reached in the lawsuit Mainline Printing filed last year against KDL Inc., the company that owns the former White Lakes Mall property at 3600 S.W. Topeka Blvd., Shawnee County District Court records say.

The suit was scheduled to go to trial Wednesday but that was canceled Tuesday. An announcement of the settlement agreement was posted on the court website.

The amount being paid out is "not being disclosed," KDL Inc. owner Kent Lindemuth told The Capital-Journal on Wednesday morning.

The newspaper hadn't been able to reach John Parker Jr., chief operating officer for Mainline Printing, based just north of the former mall at 3500 S.W. Topeka Blvd.

More: Deteriorating sidewalks, missing lights: Mainline Printing sues White Lakes mall owner

What did Mainline Printing allege?

Mainline Printing sued KDL in March 2021, alleging it neglected the former White Lakes Mall property and failed to keep it in “attractive and good condition.”

The lawsuit said KDL since at least 2016 had operated in default of a Declaration of Restrictions, Covenants and Easements Development Agreement.

That declaration, recorded in 2004, requires demolition or repairs to resolve issues of neglect or disrepair regarding the property.

Topeka's mayor and city council voted 10-0 last September to authorize the city administration to spend as much as $2.5 to demolish the former White Lakes Mall building.

Demolition of that structure began last March and appears to remain in progress.

More: Dana Chandler's second murder trial ended in a hung jury. So did these 13 Topeka cases.

What was White Lakes Mall's history?

White Lakes Mall opened in 1964, according to Topeka Capital-Journal archives.

The mall's popularity waned after West Ridge Mall opened in 1988 along southwest Topeka's Wanamaker corridor, with Sears and J.C. Penney leaving White Lakes to open stores at West Ridge Mall.

White Lakes Mall's final tenant left in 2011, after which it stood abandoned.

A raging, intentionally set fire did significant damage to the mall building in December 2020.

Tim Hrenchir can be reached at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Former owner of White Lakes Mall reaches settlement with businesses