Rosewood-Cedarwood Tenant Union Announces Lawsuit to Fight Unlawful Evictions

Gina Chiala announces the lawsuit against the Rosewood-Cedarwood property owners. Photo by Christopher Welch

The Rosewood-Cedarwood Tenant Union is embarking on a bold new step in their ongoing fight for housing justice. At a press conference held at the historic Greene County Courthouse steps on May 28th, Heartland Center executive director Gina Chiala announced two lawsuits against the landlords and property managers of Rosewood Terrace and Cedarwood Estates for wrongful eviction. Rosewood and Cedarwood tenants shared powerful personal stories of the communities they have built, communities that the ongoing eviction efforts have threatened to tear apart.

The named defendants in the two cases include Zimmerman Properties, Mitchell and Amanda Jenkins, Bryan Properties, Wilhoit Properties, and GPS Property Management. The suit calls each of these parties to account for selling the properties without following the process agreed upon in the tenants’ leases, which specified that the tenants had to be notified of the owners' intent to opt out of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. Had they been notified, the tenants would have had the chance to find a buyer who would retain the properties' low income status. Instead, the owners sold off the properties to be converted into luxury housing without informing the tenants until tacking the letter on their doors telling them to vacate immediately.

Thankfully, the tenants didn’t roll over like they were supposed to. They organized, they exercised their rights, they fought back, and they started winning. Last year they appealed their evictions with the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) and obtained a reprieve until 2026. Now they are hoping that the courts will hand down a ruling allowing them to stay in their homes long-term. The second lawsuit seeks appropriate damages for residents who moved out of their homes after receiving the illegal notice to vacate.

Landlords think that they can break the rules because their tenants won't know any better, but this time they thought wrong. And are we going to let them get away with it? Hell no! STUN will stand behind the Rosewood and Cedarwood tenants every step of the way!