Judge approves order allowing students to remain at Bellamy Louisville apartments

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- University of Louisville students living at the Bellamy Louisville apartments won't have to go anywhere, at least until their lease is up.

Residents of the apartment complex, which sits at the corner of South 7th Street and West Shipp Avenue near the University of Louisville campus, were given a 30-day notice June 26 that they needed to move out by July 26. Even tenants with leases that go past July were told to move out by July 26.

Several residents filed a lawsuit Monday in Jefferson Circuit Court seeking a court order to stop the complex from moving them out on the scheduled "move out" day, Tuesday, July 26.

Those students were in limbo as they fought the apartment complex in court. On Tuesday morning, they took part in a courtroom hearing in an effort to stop the complex from making them move. During the hearing, an attorney for the tenants made his case for the students to remain. The complex did not send a representative to the hearing.

"No decision made, but I think we're heading in the direction that the plaintiffs want, which is to keep their home," said Danny Matlock, the students' attorney, after the hearing.

Tuesday evening, Judge Ann Bailey Smith signed off on their request for an injunction, meaning the tenants can stay in the Bellamy through the terms of their leases as long as they are valid, barring any lease violations, according to Matlock.

In her ruling, Smith wrote that the Bellamy's "threat to evict the plaintiffs is a wrongful interference with the plaintiffs' use and enjoyment of their leasehold."

"Good news for our tenants!" Matlock said in a statement to WDRB News.

Georgia-based company Caliber Living previously confirmed it was forcing everyone out to start renovations. It said it was helping tenants find other housing options.

Matlock said tenants have been faced with issues such as a lack of hot water and broken air conditioning. He said these problems haven't been fixed, despite multiple requests.

"The biggest kind of frustration in this whole case has been I have clients who don't have a secondary place lined up," Matlock said. "And as a father of one, that's scary."

The complex was directly affiliated with UofL for many years, but the school said that affiliation ended in 2019.

Matlock said if tenants have a valid lease with terms that run past Tuesday, they don't have to move — at least until the judge makes a ruling.

The owner of the apartment complex hasn't responded to a request for comment.

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Judge approves order allowing students to remain at Bellamy Louisville apartments