This story was produced by Street Sense Media.

Marbury Plaza, a Southeast D.C. apartment complex, was a major attraction for middle-class Black families looking for a place to call home in the 1960s.

However, as the years progressed, the once-luxurious apartments deteriorated due to poor management, according to tenants at the property. Last summer, D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) sued the property owner — MP PPH, LLC — and the management company at the time — Vantage Management, who withdrew its services soon afterward — for numerous health and safety violations.

In the same month as the Marbury Plaza complaint, the OAG filed three other repair and public safety lawsuits against property owners at Somerset Apartments, Sheridan Apartments, a gas station, and a vacant apartment in the District. Residents at these properties, including Marbury and the surrounding communities, suffered health hazards, violence, break-ins, and other unsafe living conditions. While orders for restitution, updated safety plans, and inspections have been made for the other lawsuits — residents at Marbury Plaza await a resolution.

Along with the Marbury Plaza lawsuit in July 2021, the OAG sought an emergency order to repair the property. That motion was set aside earlier this year when the attorney general’s office and the property owner reached an agreement, accepted and ordered by the court. This order outlined a series of repairs and assessments to be completed, specified time frames for each, and required that the defendants file monthly progress reports with the court.

All work should have been completed by June 30 or earlier, according to the deadlines MP PPH lists in its monthly reports. The August report marks most categories of work as completed but says work continues on mold remediation, elevator replacement, plumbing and HVAC repairs, and implementation of a new electronic lock system.

However, tenants at Marbury Plaza say the property has continued to decline despite intervention from the attorney general’s office. Meanwhile, the OAG filed a motion in March suggesting the defendants should be held in contempt of court for not addressing conditions at Marbury Plaza fast enough.

Francine Gladden, a Marbury Plaza tenant for 22 years, said little has changed around her apartment.

“This building has been going downhill, nothing is up to par. To me, they’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing for any resident,” the 72-year-old tenant told Street Sense Media. “I don’t know what to do. I want to move, but where would I move to?”

According to court records, Gladden was unable to access the front of the building for months because the chair lift was not functioning. She instead drove her mobility scooter over the grass to the back door of her ground level unit and relied on neighbors to help her lift the scooter onto the patio there. If no one was around, she had to leave the scooter on the lawn in the weather until someone willing to help came along. MP PPH’s August progress report said the chair lift had been returned to service and inspected by the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

MP PPH wrote that the lift had been damaged and repaired multiple times this year due to “apparent misuse” and vandalism. In its March report, MP PPH indicated it planned to replace the lift, but the owner now writes that repairs, and a “preventative maintenance” contract are sufficient.

The lawsuit claims both the property owners and management company of Marbury Plaza repeatedly violated the Consumer Protection Procedures Act, which protects consumers from unlawful trade practices. In the filing, the OAG pointed to an alleged 148 housing violations which included repeated gas leaks, pest infestations, defective stair lifts for tenants with disabilities, and broken door locks on units.

At the time the lawsuit was initially filed, the property suffered from many structural issues, according to the OAG. In some units, tenants were subjected to “mold and filthy air vents which spew dust,” according to the report. Tenants relied on space heaters and electric fans as the building often had insufficient heating and cooling.

Street Sense Media reached out to the property owners by phone and email twice for comment, however, they did not provide a response.

Gladden supported OAG claims from the lawsuit regarding the state of the property. Within the last year, she said she has been exposed to asbestos in her unit, multiple water leaks from the toilet, and a broken stair lift, which she relies on due to her disability.

“My thing with Marbury Plaza is that they never actually fix anything,” she said. “They just patch up everything. I had a gas leak behind my stove and they wouldn’t replace that stove until I called the gas company several times about it because I kept smelling gas.”

While she is frustrated with the state of the building, Gladden said she is glad the OAG is going after the lawsuit. The OAG has been pursuing a number of lawsuits against property owners and landlords, including Marbury Plaza.

“Too often, D.C. residents are forced to live in dangerous environments within their own homes because landlords and property managers violate the law and fail to provide their tenants with safe and secure housing,” Attorney General Karl A. Racine said.

Restitution for tenants in similar cases

The OAG resolved major cases at three other D.C. properties in late June 2022, after landlords failed to provide safe and secure conditions for their tenants. As a result of these lawsuits, property owners were required to make various changes around their properties to improve safety and living conditions, resolutions that tenants at Marbury Plaza say they still await.

“Today’s resolutions and lawsuits reinforce that no matter what type of property you own — a shopping center, gas station, or residential building — you must prioritize the health and safety of D.C. residents,” Racine said in a press release.

As attorneys spar and some repairs are made, the Marbury Plaza tenants have no timeline they can count on for the resolution of their case. The next status hearing is set for Oct. 31.