City of Atlanta Silent on Promise of Lawsuit Against Landlord

A class-action lawsuit promised by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and civil rights attorney Ben Crump against an apartment landlord has never materialized.

About 200 residents displaced with the city’s condemnation of the Forest Cove complex, at 900 New Town Circle, are still waiting for justice, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Dickens stood beside Crump and former Forest Cove tenant Felicia Morris in 2023, pledging to seek damages from Forest Cove owner Millennia Companies for the complex’s allegedly dangerous and unsanitary conditions. But no lawsuit has been filed, and neither Crump nor Dickens’ office has provided a clear explanation.

Crump was retained in January 2024 to represent the city, not the residents directly, and agreed to a $975-per-hour rate plus 30 percent of any settlement, according to records obtained by the outlet.

Yet as of March, no payment had been made and no complaint filed, either by the city or on behalf of tenants. Crump has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Forest Cove’s demolition began last year after the city condemned the property in 2022. More than 200 families were estimated to be relocated, many of whom say they now live farther from jobs and schools and in worse conditions than before.

Millenia’s subsidiary and the complex’s former owner, Phoenix Ridge, had sued the city in an effort to stop the demolition, arguing that Atlanta had already approved a $60 million redevelopment plan. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s dismissal of the lawsuit last month, siding with the city’s condemnation order.

City officials declined to reveal legal strategy but said they are committed to supporting the 800 residents who lived at Forest Cove and aim to bring new affordable housing to the Thomasville Heights neighborhood, where Forest Cove once stood and many displaced families had lived for years.

That hasn’t been enough to satisfy critics. Housing advocates and residents said they feel the initial lawsuit promise was a political ploy.

Meanwhile, Millennia is pursuing legal action of its own. A federal court recently dismissed part of its lawsuit against the city, but its claims continue in Fulton County Superior Court. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has launched civil enforcement proceedings against the company, alleging it misused $3.3 million in federal funds, though that process is now complicated by a separate federal criminal probe.

— Judah Duke