Tenants To Be Forced Out Of Hollywood Building Due To City Dispute
HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — The tenants of a building in Hollywood will be forcibly removed due to a dispute between the city and a developer.
A judge ruled that the developers, who demolished the old Spaghetti Factory facade, should not have been allowed to do so.
70 tenants, who held a meeting Saturday, say they were not informed of the dispute when they moved in to the 22-story apartment building, located at Sunset and Gordon, and that they have yet to receive an official notice.
The CIM Group, who owns the building, remains involved in a legal struggle with the City of Los Angeles
The city says the tenants must leave the building by April 19, and will be forcibly removed by Sheriff's deputies if necessary. That deadline, however, may be postponed should the group file an appeal.
"It's beyond absurd," tenant Mario Davis said. "It's been a nightmare, it's surreal."
Tenants say that, while the city is telling them they need to leave, the managers say that, if that is the result of a court order, it counts as a lease violation, meaning they will not be given any compensation or relocation money.
"I would have never moved in with my family had my husband and I both known that this is in litigation," tenant Melanie Culvey said. "I mean, just to put us at risk of having no place to live."
The building had lost its temporary occupancy permit on March 11, and the notices to vacate were issued days later.
"We're doing what we're told, we're paying our rent, we're citizens of Los Angeles and we're caught between a litigation that we have nothing to do with," tenant Logan Everett said.
Among the tenants impacted by the litigation is a U.S. Army captain who served five tours overseas. The building would have been his first permanent residence in seven years.
