“The property owner has the obligation to present a tenancy, or a place to live, that’s going to be habitable, and that means I can live there without my belongings being destroyed or my bedroom being flooded. They failed to do that. And, when they did, they breached Alabama law.” Eric Artip
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday detailed the suffering Gateway Place residents claim they’ve endured over the past six months after a pipe burst inside their building in July 2024.
“They really are our most vulnerable population,” Attorney Eric Artrip with Mastando & Artrip said. “And to be treated in this fashion we think is unfair.”
Residents of Gateway Place Apartments were displaced after a pipe burst inside the apartment complex on July 31, 2024. They jumped from hotel to hotel for months waiting for the apartments to be repaired. Some residents said their belongings were destroyed by water damage.
Artrip said the lawsuit seeks complete repairs to affected apartment units, financial compensation for the suffering and loss of residents and reimbursement of several months of rent they paid while displaced.
“One of the things we’re seeking to address in the lawsuit is the idea that these tenants were asked to continue to pay rent, ‘save their spot’ in the apartment complex while their apartments were being renovated, even though they were placed in a very shabby hotel situation for many months,” Artrip said. “We think that money should be returned to them and, their belongings should be paid for.”
The lawsuit names the property owners, Huntsville Senior Housing L.P.; property management, Integral Group LLC.; and plumbing contractor, Lee Company.
