Judge Nixes Legal Aid Lawyers' Request To Wrestle Away Control Of Dilapidated Apartment Building Thru Receivership, But Will Give It 2nd Thought If Long List Of Ordered Repairs Are Not Made

In Austin, Texas, KVUE-TV reports:

• Once again, tenants of a North Austin apartment complex that has been at the center of several safety complaints are speaking out.
  
  People living in Cross Creek Apartments said since the complex's owner died last month, conditions have worsened. However, those handling the property said they've spent more than a million dollars making changes.
  
  Wednesday, tenants said there's still a lot of problems that need to be fixed and this morning they headed to court with their legal representation, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, to try and make some changes.
  
  Attorneys with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid(1) asked the Travis County District Court to take control of the complex following the owner's death last month and give it to a third party. The third party would collect rent money and use it to make repairs that were court-ordered more than a year ago. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid Attorney Robert Doggett said they didn't get that outcome, but are still satisfied.
  
  "The judge at the end ordered them to make a bunch of repairs," Doggett said. "That included a six-page order that the judge is going to enter probably later this evening. The judge did not sign an order authorizing the removal of them as controlling the property, which is what the tenants requested. All in all, good day. What we went in for is to get the defendant's attention, get some repairs started and send a message that if this isn't done we're going to go to the next level."
  
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  Doggett said the judge let everyone know that if repairs aren't made in a timely fashion, he will once again consider who has control of the complex.

Source: Tenants fight North Austin apartments in court.

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(1) Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to low-income residents in sixty-eight counties of Southwest Texas, and represents migrant and seasonal farm workers throughout the state of Texas and six southern states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. In addition, TRLA operates public defender programs in several Southwest Texas counties, representing the poor who are accused of felonies, misdemeanors and juvenile crimes.