FRESNO, Calif. — A Fresno business owner who has spent more than four decades building his tile business is now fighting to keep his remaining inventory from being sold at a public auction Monday.

Art Terzian’s former A&T Ceramic property is at the center of two separate legal disputes: the City of Fresno’s eminent-domain case involving the building and a separate private lawsuit that led to a more than $15 million judgment against him.

Terzian’s attorney filed a petition with the California Fifth District Court of Appeal two days ago, asking the court to stop the scheduled auction while Terzian appeals the judgment.

A response from the court is still pending.

Let’s start off with the first case, involving the City of Fresno’s eminent-domain case:

Terzian says the City of Fresno took possession of the A&T Ceramic property for the Blackstone-McKinley Grade Separation Project.

For more than 40 years, Art Terzian said the business was his livelihood.

Now, he says, he cannot enter the property.

“If I cross this line, I get arrested,” Terzian said. “The city owns it. I’ll be trespassing.”

Terzian says city representatives promised to help him relocate his business if the property was taken. He says he was told the city would find a comparable building, help move shelving and assist with the transition.

“Big, big promises never happened,” Terzian said.

Terzian says he needed about 28,000 square feet to relocate the tile inventory. He says finding a building large enough and within the price range that the city offered was difficult.

City records show the Fresno City Council approved up to $1.1 million for moving Terzian’s inventory, one year of storage and insurance as part of the relocation. Terzian says he never received that money, even after his attorney asked for it.

Terzian says he wanted to move the inventory himself because of the amount of tile involved and the care required to transport it.

He estimates about 2,300 pallets remain inside the building, with a retail value of roughly $3.5 million.

Documents provided to FOX26 show the city’s legal attorney wrote Terzian’s attorney in June, saying Terzian had refused a moving agreement and giving him a deadline to sign it.

Terzian’s attorney responded that the city had refused to provide the relocation assistance he was seeking. The response said Terzian was willing to relocate the inventory himself if the city provided payment for those expenses. It also said the city had not responded to that proposal.

Terzian says he sought access to the inventory so it could be sold or moved, but was told he could be arrested if he entered the property.

The City of Fresno told FOX26 it has repeatedly tried to help Terzian remove the tile over the years, but claims he has been uncooperative.

The City says it is in possession of the real property where the tile is located. It also says it is not involved in the separate lawsuit behind the tile sale and will not receive any money from the auction.

The separate lawsuit and Monday’s auction:

The scheduled auction for Monday does not stem from the city’s eminent-domain case.

A notice from the Fresno County Sheriff says Terzian’s tile inventory, equipment, forklifts, racks, shelving and other business property are set to be sold at a public auction Monday, Sept. 21, at 9 a.m. at 1780 E. McKinley Ave.

The notice says the sale is intended to help collect on a more than $15 million judgment against Terzian.

That judgment comes from a separate property dispute involving a land-sale agreement.

Brooke and Gina Ashjian sued Terzian in 2021. An earlier judgment of nearly $4 million was overturned by an appeals court in 2024. The case then returned to court for a new trial in March.

In April, a judge awarded the Ashjians $15,589,289, finding Terzian breached the contract and awarding lost-profit damages tied to a planned apartment project.

Terzian is now appealing that judgment. He argues the damages are too speculative because the planned project was never built.

Brian Whelan, the attorney representing Brooke and Gina Ashjian, told FOX26 the scheduled auction is part of the effort to collect on the judgment.

“The rules are simple. Post the bond and we stop. Get a court order and we stop. Until then, we collect,” Whelan said in a statement. “We will continue pursuing his assets until my clients are paid.”

He also said, “I understand the City has been spending thousands of dollars each month to secure the A&T building and guard the tile. Selling the tile to satisfy my clients’ judgment will also help clear the way for the City to move forward with its planned public works project—something Mr. Terzian has repeatedly obstructed. We are actively working with the City to come to terms to assist the City.”

He goes on to say the sale is public and that qualified bidders are welcome to come out and bid on the tile.