A Fort Worth municipal court judge on Wednesday ordered the owner of Manor Independent Living to make repairs within 30 days or face fines. The owner, Endeavor Group Real Estate, has until Nov. 27 to fix violations at the building at 8000 Calmont Ave. After that date, it must pay $1,000 for each day the violations remain.
Water to the building is scheduled to be shut off Nov. 18 due to nonpayment. Aaron Renaud, fair housing manager for the North Texas Fair Housing Center, told the Fort Worth Report that the building's only working elevator is emitting smoke. He said a tenant was told by management to turn the elevator off at 4 p.m. each afternoon, leaving elderly and disabled tenants upstairs until morning. Renaud also said a resident fell down the stairs while unable to use the elevator.
Judge Claudia Martinez criticized the building's management after issuing her order. She said it could be overwhelming for older residents, some of them disabled, to move to new homes. Tenants had endured months of unsanitary and unsafe conditions, according to the report.