Big Country Chateau fails to appear in court, state wins case by default judgment

Large country castleA now-abandoned Little Rock apartment complex that has been in court and in the news for the past three years has lost a lawsuit filed by the state Attorney General's Office accusing the owners of knowingly renting apartments that violated the city's zoning code.

It was a default judgment because no one appeared in court on Wednesday to represent Big Country Chateau.

The apartment complex was closed last year and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, also Freddie Macoutstanding utility bills and four months' rent for tenants looking for another apartment.

In 2022, the then Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed the lawsuit against Big Country Chateau, owned by a New Jersey company. The lawsuit details the conditions city inspectors found at the complex in July 2022.

Outside the buildings, trash, animal droppings and debris were found scattered on the lawn and around the pool. Doors were missing and empty doorways were boarded up. Windows were broken. Electrical boxes were open and wires were tangled and exposed. And the hooks for the fire extinguishers were all empty.

Inside the units, conditions were even more horrifying. For example, police officers entered units 163 and 176 and found mold and mildew everywhere. In unit 163, there was a hole in the closet that the tenant said leaked when it rained and warped the carpet, creating a tripping hazard. The tenant in unit 176 said the unit had no smoke detectors since she moved in. Several tenants had no air conditioning for days or even weeks despite the heat wave with temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit that lasted for several days.

Ms. Felicia Peterson, a tenant who has lived in the apartment complex for several years, said that the apartment she rents was half-finished when she moved in and has not been completed since then. The apartment's stove was not installed properly, which resulted in a gas leak, and there are cockroaches in the apartment.

The Code Enforcement Inspection found 337 life safety violations and 975 other violations at the apartment complex…

The state seeks restitution for affected consumers, injunctive relief, an order imposing civil penalties, suspension or forfeiture of franchises, corporate charters, licenses, permits and authority to do business in Arkansas, and other relief against the defendants.

Attorney General of Arkansas Tim Griffin continued to prosecute the case when he took office, ultimately ending today with a default judgment in Pulaski County Court.

Sylvester SmithBig Country Chateau's attorney in the lawsuit, withdrew from the case on August 5, according to Arkansas court records.

“The former owners of Big Country Chateau continued their disregard of the court and its authority by failing to appear today,” Griffin said in a press release Wednesday. “Today's default judgment allows my office to seek relief and hold them accountable for their abhorrent conduct toward the people of Arkansas.”