Judge Commands Apartment Complex to Provide Temporary Housing for Tenants Amid A/C Failures

The Buenas on 32nd apartment complex was recently hit with a lawsuit filed by the Attorney General’s Office.

PHOENIX — The legal dispute between Arizona’s Attorney General and a Valley apartment complex escalated on Friday as state prosecutors clashed with the defense in court.

The central issue involves tenants’ complaints about inadequate air conditioning at the Buenas on 32nd apartments. Both state prosecutors and the attorney representing Buenas LLC appeared before a Superior Court judge to address these concerns.

“No one wants anybody to get sick, no one wants anybody to die,” stated Judge Frank Moskowitz, reflecting the severity of the situation.

The courtroom atmosphere was tense. Judge Moskowitz instructed both parties to test the temperature in five apartments. Unfortunately, conflicting temperature readings from the two sides complicated the matter.

Attorney Denise Holliday, representing the complex, presented a contradictory scenario, describing one resident as being bundled up inside because their unit was too cold, falling below the city’s required 82 degrees.

Prosecutors challenged this, asserting their readings indicating temperatures above the 82-degree threshold. This discrepancy was consistently observed across all tested units.

“I never imagined yesterday that I would send you out for tests and I would come back with two different results,” expressed Judge Moskowitz, highlighting the unexpected outcome.

The judge mandated a retest on Friday. This time, the temperature would need to be measured for an hour with the air conditioning running, and if issues persisted, landlords would be responsible for providing alternative accommodations.

Both sides agreed. Any resident refusing to have their system examined would not receive alternative accommodations, according to the judge’s orders.

The findings from these latest tests are yet to be made public.

ArizonaNews.org will continue to provide updates as the story unfolds.