In Case You Missed It ...
Jul 8, 2009 10:47 am US/Central
Dallas Residents Without Cool Air Go To Court
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
An emergency hearing took place Wednesday at the Dallas County District Court.
Attorneys for tenants living at the Barclay Square Apartments in
Pleasant Grove asked the judge to issue a temporary injunction
that would force the management to complete repairs on the complex's
air conditioning system.
Nearly 30 residents of the apartment complex were in the courtroom, including 64-year-old Robert Cantu, who is in a wheelchair and breathing with the help of oxygen. We first spoke with Cantu over a week ago. He is concerned that he could become gravely ill without adequate cool air in the apartment he shares with his two sisters.
Some of the Barclay Square Apartments tenants said that they do have central air conditioning or window units, but not all.
According to residents, maintenance crews were at the complex on Tuesday, but complaints of no cool air have persisted for more than three weeks.
Residents also told us that managers of the complex asked them not to cook food between the hours of noon and 7 p.m. According to the residents we talked to, management told them that would help keep their apartments cooler.
Kenneth Chaiken, the attorney representing Barclay Square Apartments, has repeatedly objected to the presence of news media in the courtroom. Chaiken claimed that the inclusion of reporters is prejudicial, inappropriate and a distraction. However, Judge Gena Slaughter overruled those objections and is letting a pool camera videotape the hearing from outside the courtroom door.
The judge also warned attorneys against grandstanding during the proceeding.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
RAW VIDEO: 100-Mile Police Chase
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
