The Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection has slapped a civil lawsuit on the owners of the Hilltop Mobile Home Park in State College. The suit alleges that Hilltop’s owners, Kenneth Mayes II and his sister Sharon, violated the Manufactured Home Community Rights Act.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the Mayes’ were required to pay relocation costs for residents who were evicted when the Park closed on February 28. The Hilltop Mobile Home Park was sold to Trinitas Ventures, LLC – a student housing developer.
Matt Rooke, a spokesperson for the Hilltop Residence Association says, “It’s good news for residents who were displaced but it’s unfortunate that it had to come down to litigation.”
Rooke adds, “We believed all along that the law applied. We didn’t fully expect the Attorney General’s Office to be as active as they were.”
Prosecutors claim the Mayes’ are required to pay $4,000 in relocation expenses to residents who move a manufactured home to another location. Additionally, they are required to buyout the manufactured home of any resident who is unable or unwilling to find a replacement site.
The civil lawsuit states that the Mayes’ allegedly provided relocation expenses to some mobile home owners, but not to others. Prosecutors want a judge to order the Mayes’ to pay residents who were forced to move. The Attorney General’s Office is seeking an injunction to freeze the defendants’ assets from the Hilltop sale.
A call to the Hilltop Mobile Home Park was not immediately returned.
According to Rooke almost all Hilltop residents have moved out but he vows to fight on. Rooke says, “As a community issue it’s far from over. We want to fight rezoning and want to see Hilltop stay zoned as a mobile home park.
Homeowners who believe they are entitled to restitution in this case can file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Consumers can file complaints online at www.attorneygeneral.gov or by calling the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-441-2555.
The civil lawsuit was filed in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas.
