Somersworth landlord due in court to face city code violations again, faces arrest warrant
SOMERSWORTH — Anji Reddy, a landlord who owns multiple apartments in the city, is scheduled to appear in Dover District Court Monday, March 20 to face four more code violations filed against him by city officials.
Reddy owner of Reddy Infosys Inc, based in Princeton, New Jersey, was scheduled to be in court on Feb. 27, but failed to show up to face allegations of missing deadlines to address code violations. Judge Bradley Lown issued a $1,000 fine and a bench warrant for his arrest. Had he appeared in court later that day, with a good reason for his absence, he could have paid the fine and had the bench warrant vacated.
On Friday, a court clerk said no action had been taken by Reddy, and the bench warrant, listed under town enforcement charges, remains outstanding.
It is not known if Reddy will appear on Monday. Somersworth Code Enforcement officer Shane Conlin said he has been informed Reddy has hired Portsmouth Attorney Christopher Burns to act on his behalf.
"The four charges on Monday all deal with code violations at his 11 Ash Street property," said Conlin. "I am working on more for 86 High Street. And on April 3, we will be back in court asking to reinstate a formerly suspended sentence."
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Conlin said last July Reddy pleaded guilty to a similar misdemeanor charge for a code violation.
"He was given a deadline to complete needed work and he agreed, so a fine of $2,000 was suspended pending him doing the work," Conlin said. "He has not done that, so we will ask for the fine to be reinstated. ... I also plan to issue another code violation for the same work that still needs to be completed."
According to the document, Reddy Infosys, Inc. pleaded guilty and was fined $2,500 by the court, with $2,000 suspended pending completion of work. Reddy was ordered to pull permits for plumbing and electrical work within 30 days, with the work to be completed 120 days after that.
Conlin said Reddy paid paid the court $500, plus a $120 penalty assessment fee.
Reddy has received much attention locally after a large sign was hung by tenants from a window at 86 High St., asking Reddy to restore heat and water to the building. Some of the tenants of High Street and a building on Ash Street were without heat or water for months, including Saturday, Feb. 4, in record-setting, sub-zero temperatures.
Landlord has faced public criticism
Tenants banded together to pressure their landlord, filing 540-A tenant rights petitions in court, hoping to prompt him to address a number of code violations, including heating, electrical, plumbing, structural, and even a rat infestation in one of the buildings.
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Following the action, Reddy issued eviction notices to two vocal tenants, Shayntel Cormier and Caitlin Judd, both of whom say they will be in court on Monday, and at every court date Reddy faces
On Tuesday, March 14, Cormier's eviction was dismissed by the court. Judge Lown said it had no merit, and called it "retaliatory."
Judd said her eviction is not being allowed to move forward while her 540A case is still pending. She is due in court on June 15.
Last Friday evening, Reddy Infosys issued a statement to Foster's, which reads in part: "We are making good strides in addressing the repairs/ fixes and arranging for final inspection of the fixes — last mile in the process."
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Somersworth landlord Anji Reddy due in court, faces arrest warrant
