Residents of KCK senior center win $4.6 million settlement over ‘terrible’ living conditions

A federal judge on Monday approved a $4.6 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by residents of a Kansas City, Kansas, apartment building for seniors with low incomes, cited for pest problems and poor upkeep.

For years, residents of Cross-Lines Retirement Center, a pair of half-century-old towers in the Argentine district, dealt with unsafe and unhealthy living conditions, including mold, cockroaches, bed bugs, faulty pipes and inadequate access for those with disabilities, according to the lawsuit.

The 208 subsidized apartments offer relatively cheap housing to those 62 years and older and are home to many disabled residents. In all, roughly 350 current and former residents — some moved out over living conditions there — were members of the class action.

Named as defendants are Cross-Lines and for-profit property management group Young Management Corporation, based in Kansas City, Missouri.

The judgment District of Kansas Chief Judge Eric F. Melgren approved covers residents of the buildings going back five years. The order also granted injunctive relief meant to improve the living conditions of residents, including regular pest control.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Gina Chiala, an attorney for the residents, said the settlement will provide “relief to hundreds of tenants who’ve really suffered in terrible conditions,” adding the outcome also shows rental property owners “that they need to comply with the law.”

“Every tenant deserves a right to sanitary, clean, safe housing,” said Chiala, the executive director of the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom , an area legal aid group. “And this case sends that message.”

In a statement provided by their attorney, Cross-Lines and Young Management Corporation expressed relief that the “heavily litigated case has been resolved.”

“With the resolution, the property has already started significant renovations to extend the useful life of the complex for the great benefit of the residents and the community,” Cross-Lines and Young said in the statement.

“Affordable housing is a critical need in this area, and Cross-Lines Retirement Center is an important part of providing that necessary service. We look forward to a bright future for the property and its residents.”

Issues at the buildings have drawn scrutiny from residents and area leaders.

In 2022, The Star reviewed hundreds of pages of inspection reports that spelled out poor health and safety conditions. Those reports were compiled since 2016 by local, state and federal regulators.

Cross-Lines regularly struggled to meet passing grades when the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development sent inspectors, The Star found. More than once the Unified Government threatened to pull the rental license for the apartments.

During a previous interview with The Star, Linda Smith, a retired bus driver who uses a wheelchair, said she feared being trapped in her eight-floor building in a case of emergency. She also described an unsafe living environment replete with pests and frequently in need of serious maintenance.

“They should be paying us to live here, with all the stuff going on,” Smith, one of the hundreds who signed on with the lawsuit, said at the time. “Bed bugs, cockroaches, water running all the time.”

The Star’s David Hudnall and Mike Hendricks contributed to this report.