From: Larry Shade
Columbus
I have lived in Columbus Stonegate Apartments for 10 years. I never had any problems until a new management team took control in April 2022. For 10 months, I had no communication with them. But in February 2023, the new manager presented me a bill in the amount of $2583.They had secretly increased my rent along with fees and other charges. For weeks I tried to negotiate a settlement, but to no avail. My only recourse was to sue.
At my trial in small claims court, I presented a history of the 10-month period, emphasizing that the secret increase of my rent was unethical and should never have happened. However, the judge completely ruled against me. He stated, “each of my charges were authorized and properly charged pursuant to the provisions of your lease agreement.”
I appealed the verdict to a second trial in small claims court. This time I presented Indiana’s law consisting of landlord obligations. It stated, “Landlord must give a 30-day notice before increasing a Tenant’s rent. If a Tenant stays in the rental unit after the rental term has expired, the Landlord must provide the Tenant a 90-day Notice to Quit.” Stonegate clearly violated the Indiana law. But the judge ruled against me. He never mentioned the Indiana law. He stated, “the plaintiff should have done a complete research before filing his initial claim, and the court cannot accept any new evidence at this time.”
I next proceeded to appeal to the Columbus Superior Court located in the Bartholomew County Courthouse. But my formal appeal had to be submitted through the small claims judge’s office before going to the Superior Court. This appeal was denied.
So still having belief in my case, I made contact with Indiana Attorney General’s Office. At first, they notified me that they would investigate my case. They also stated that it would take a while to get to my case because they had a huge backlog. But in just four days, I received a letter notifying me that the Attorney General concluded that, “they do not have jurisdiction over this matter. Accordingly, we are unable to pursue your complaint at this time. Please feel free to contact us in the future regarding this.”
My six-month journey contesting our judicial system has been an extremely disturbing experience. Our country today has fallen into a state of turmoil created by internal forces. Even our courts have been infected. The judicial system today must stand up and provide the foundation to end our destructive actions. The world is watching.
