News photo of Crystal Nelson Ron Williams, a Lincoln Manor resident, is featured in his apartment in this August 2020 news archive photo.
HARRISVILLE – Two Lincoln Manor residents have sued the home and its management company on appeal “uninhabitable” Living conditions based on an ongoing bed bug investigation.
Residents Myrtle Kilbourne and Ron Williams are demanding at least $ 25,000 and other damages from the Cochran Firm Detroit through their attorney Perry Schneider.
To date, the defendants have not submitted a response.
Neither Schneider nor Barb Corona, chief operating officer of Lincoln Manor’s Prime Properties Management, could be reached for comment today.
Corona previously said in a statement to The News that the company has hired Rose Pest Control to regularly check the apartment building and find evidence of bed bugs they find. The pest control company called in dog crews to sniff for bed bugs in each unit.
Residents have complained about bed bugs for months and the infestation has prevented the Alcona County Commission on Aging from offering some services to residents there. The Aging Commission filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office, which closed the agency’s complaint without taking any action but did not say why.
The lawsuit was filed in the 23rd Circuit Court in Harrisville on November 24th.
The lawsuit alleges that living conditions at Lincoln Manor violate Michigan Housing Act and Michigan Consumer Protection Act by misrepresenting the habitability of the homes.
Williams moved into his unit in November 2019 and noticed bed bugs in his apartment about a month later. Kilbourne signed her lease in April 2020 and, according to the lawsuit, noticed bed bugs shortly after moving in.
“The bed bugs were in the bed, in the mattress, in the kitchen appliances, in the furniture and in the clothes of the plaintiff.” the lawsuit declared. “The bed bugs clung to the plaintiffs while they slept, sucking their blood until full, and resisting extermination.
“Plaintiffs have suffered numerous bed bug bites which continue to cause pain, discomfort, anger, insomnia, inconvenience, humiliation, anxiety, persistent mental and emotional distress.” the suit adds.
Williams was evicted from his home in November and has until January 25 to find another place to live. Prime Properties accused him of smoking with oxygen in his apartment, which is against housing rules. Williams denied smoking in his apartment.
The lawsuit also alleges that the Management Company received numerous complaints about the bed bug, but that those complaints remained unsolved.
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