Clear Choice In Texas House District 149

by BigJolly · 07/09/2008 10:11 am

Video: Mr. Vo’s Hacienda (Slumlord)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZW7ppg7XXU

Press Release from the Greg Meyers Campaign
Apartment Tenant Lawsuits Against Hubert Vo Reveal Historic Pattern of Neglect

July 8, 2008

State & Federal lawsuits all settled out of court; Contradict Vo's Previous Claims of Not Knowing About Problems

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 8, 2008) . . . Lawsuits on file at the Harris County Courthouse reveal a startling pattern of management neglect, inadequate safety, physical intimidation, racial discrimination and retaliation at apartment complexes owned by State Rep. Hubert Vo.

These lawsuits directly contradict Rep. Vo’s previous claims to not have known about conditions at his apartment complexes prior to being confronted by city inspectors and recent media scrutiny. The lawsuits cover a period from 1996 to 2007 and were all confidentially settled out of court by Rep. Vo.

Greg Meyers, the challenger to Rep. Vo in House District 149, called the lawsuits a revealing pattern of neglect. “It is troubling that any public servant would allow this type of problem to occur. But what is more disturbing is the fact that Rep. Vo denied knowledge of the dangerous and unhealthy living conditions at his apartment complexes. These lawsuits show he has clearly known about the problems for many years.”

The apartment complexes owned by Rep. Vo have been the subject of an investigation by the City of Houston’s Neighborhood Protection Corps for dangerous and unhealthy living conditions.

In addition, a special report by the Houston Chronicle also revealed numerous building code violations including faulty and exposed electrical wiring, rotted wood on balconies, stagnant water in swimming pools,mold-invested and damaged dry-wall, broken windows and unsecured vacant units.

The lawsuits settled by Rep. Vo consist of the following accounts:

In 1998, Juan Rodriguez was a tenant at Rep. Vo’s Capewood Apartment Complex. In the process of changing a light bulb, Mr. Rodriguez was severely burned with hot water that had accumulated in the bulb due to a leaking air condition unit above Mr. Rodriguez’ apartment.

The leak had been previously reported to building management on four separate occasions to no avail. Rep. Vo settled this state case out of court in 2001.

In 2004, Victor Arias was a tenant at Rep. Vo’s Capewood Apartment Complex. Mr. Arias was physically subdued, forcibly detained and arrested by a security guard employed by the apartment complex and Mr. Arias’ wife was struck by the security guard.
Mr. Arias was released by the Harris County Sheriff’s Department after an investigation of the security guard’s actions. The security guard and apartment manager were later reprimanded by Sheriff’s deputies for filing false charges. Rep. Vo settled this state case out of court in 2007.

In 1996, Alecia Alexander, an African-American female, moved into the Wall Street Apartments owed by Rep. Vo. Ms. Alexander complained of raw sewage backed up in her unit, feces in her bedroom, and rodents.

On several occasions, Ms. Alexander made requests to management for relocation to another unit. These requests were denied and Ms. Alexander was falsely informed that there were no vacant units available.

Ms. Alexander witnessed other non African-American residents being frequently relocated. In August of 2000, Ms. Alexander sought protection under the Fair Housing Act because the apartment complex management sought to have her evicted after she filed complaints with HUD.

Rep. Vo settled this federal case out of court in 2003.

Representative Vo recently sent out a taxpayer-funded newsletter to his constituents touting his support for quality of life measures, crime prevention issues and consumer advocacy legislation.

In addition, Vo’s campaign website misleads voters about Vo’s track record on community issues and public safety. Meyers took strong exception to these claims. “Rep. Vo claims to be for better quality of life on one side of Houston and then works against it on the other side of town. His blatant attempt to deceive voters is appalling,” Meyers said.

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NOTE: Summaries of the lawsuits referenced above can be viewed at:

http://www.gregmeyerscampaign.com/files/Alexander-Lawsuit-Wall-Street-Ap...
http://www.gregmeyerscampaign.com/files/Arias-Lawsuit-Capewood-Apartment...
http://www.gregmeyerscampaign.com/files/Rodriguez-Lawsuits-Capewood-Apar...