MO AG Hawley Files Suit Against St. Louis Housing Authority

ST. LOUIS, MO — After an investigation announced back in April, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley is suing St. Louis' Clinton-Peabody public housing complex, where tenants have complained of mice, mold and other poor conditions for months. The AG's office has accused the St. Louis Housing Authority and McCormack Baron, a property management company, of engaging in a conspiracy to violate consumer protection laws and defraud residents, according to a news release.

"The residents of Clinton-Peabody have faced longstanding problems with rodent and pest infestations, substantial indoor mold accumulation, structural failure, and other serious issues," the AG's office wrote Thursday. "As alleged in the Petition, the Housing Authority and its property manager, McCormack Baron, have had notice of these issues through both tenant complaints and media stories, but they have failed to take appropriate remedial action. The Petition alleges that the Housing Authority and McCormack Baron have violated the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, maintained a public nuisance, and engaged in a civil conspiracy."

The Associated Press reported previously that the state of Missouri had issued a civil investigative demand — functionally equivalent to a subpoena — to the St. Louis Housing Authority. The St. Louis Health Department cited the Housing Authority for multiple violations earlier this year after a report by KPLR exposed some of the problems facing the complex's more than 300 residents.

But, tenants say little has improved since then, despite the Housing Authority resorting to bringing in feral cats — yes, feral cats — to solve the mice problem. (No word on how the Housing Authority plans to deal with the feral cat problem.)

The Post-Dispatch reports Hawley's office has requested an injunction against the housing facility, asking a judge to order the Housing Authority to repair the building and pay back residents for rent.

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Hawley won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate last week and will face Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in November.

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