LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — (Eds. note: The video below is from March 8, 2023)
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed a motion in the Pulaski County Circuit Court Friday to hold the owners of Big Country Chateau apartments in contempt of court amid a series of code violations.
The Attorney General believes that the owners have refused multiple times to cooperate with local courts, calling it an 'insult' to customers and the Arkansas justice system.
“Big Country Chateau and its New Jersey-based owners have repeatedly defied the court’s orders and are refusing to cooperate with the receiver," Griffin said. "This is an insult to both our justice system and the tenants of Big Country Chateau, and my office is seeking to hold the owners in contempt of court and sanction them.”
In late February, the Pulaski County Circuit Court appointed Tarantino Properties as a receiver to pay Big Country Chateau’s bills and conduct repairs to the apartments. The court shared that these repairs had to be in accordance with building codes.
Alongside Tarantino Properties being named as the receiver, the appointment came with an order requiring Big Country Chateau owners to turn over records to their receiver.
According to the filed motion, the owners have not complied with that order.
Griffin said that Friday's motion is an attempt to hold the defendants accountable honing in on the Attorney General's question of why the property's owners have "not complied" with court orders
Due this action that's being deemed as non-compliance by the defendants, Griffin is asking that the court hold the owners in contempt.
This motion comes after Big Country Chateau received new management back in March and with the city of Little Rock pushing for code violations against the apartment complex in late February.
This most recent motion from Griffin comes during a busy day for the Attorney General, as he also announced an different motion the same day against Summit Utilities to prevent the company from resuming late fees and disconnects against customers.