{"id":482169,"date":"2026-10-31T07:14:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T07:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/482169\/"},"modified":"2026-10-31T07:14:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T07:14:29","slug":"judge-orders-embattled-senior-living-community-to-make-repairs-as-water-shutoff-date-looms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/482169\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge orders embattled senior living community to make repairs as water shutoff date looms"},"content":{"rendered":"

by McKinnon Rice, Fort Worth Report
October 30, 2026<\/p>\n

A Fort Worth municipal court judge on Wednesday ordered the owner of embattled senior community Manor Independent Living to make repairs within 30 days or face fines.<\/p>\n

The owner of the building at 8000 Calmont Ave., Endeavor Group Real Estate<\/a>, has until Nov. 27 to fix violations before it must pay a penalty of $1,000 for each day that the violations remain. Even sooner, another critical deadline arrives: Water to the building is scheduled to be shut off Nov. 18 due to nonpayment.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Aaron Renaud, fair housing manager for the North Texas Fair Housing Center, told the Fort Worth Report that the building\u2019s only functioning elevator is emitting smoke. A tenant has been told by management to turn the elevator off at 4 p.m. every afternoon, he added, stranding elderly and disabled tenants upstairs until morning. A resident fell down the stairs while unable to use the elevator, Renaud said.<\/p>\n

The hearing, which came after tenants endured months of unsanitary and unsafe conditions<\/a>, drew an audience as residents of the building and their advocates gathered to one side of the gallery.<\/p>\n

After issuing her order, Judge Claudia Martinez took the building\u2019s management to task, noting that it could be overwhelming for the older residents, some of them disabled, to move to new homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo take advantage of that and say, \u2018Well, it\u2019s OK that there\u2019s fungus growing in the hallway because our residents like it there and don\u2019t want to move,\u2019 is just absolutely ridiculous,\u201d she said. \u201cTo say residents want to live here \u2014 but they might not have any water, but that\u2019s OK, they don\u2019t want to move, they like living here \u2014 is just absolutely ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prompted by questions from assistant city attorney Elizabeth Borders, the prosecutor on the case, code enforcement officer Larry Runnels described the conditions<\/a> that residents of Manor Independent Living have faced, including water leaks, fungus growing out of hallway carpet, electrical hazards, an out-of-order elevator, and holes in walls and ceilings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Fungus grows out of the carpet at Manor Independent Living on Sept. 24, 2026. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

\"\"Water damage is visible in the ceiling at Manor Independent Living on Sept. 24, 2026. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you noticed any significant progress towards compliance overall?\u201d Borders asked Runnels.<\/p>\n

\u201cSignificant? No,\u201d he replied. He noted repairs were made to the main entrance\u2019s ceiling and around the front door, and that trash had been removed from where it was previously piled into vacant units<\/a> after garbage pickup ceased due to nonpayment.<\/p>\n

Jourdan Wallace, the attorney representing the property owner, acknowledged that the property was \u201cdefinitely in disarray\u201d but argued 30 days was an unreasonable timeline for completing needed repairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve just been alerted recently to the extent of the damages that have taken place at the property,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is not a matter of resting on our laurels, so to speak. This is something that they are completely on top of now that they\u2019ve taken back over management.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jolene Ba\u00f1uelos, who identified herself as the property\u2019s management, testified that she arrived at the property at the end of September.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, in an Aug. 3 email obtained by the Report, a former property manager outlined problems including leaks, the broken elevator, bed bugs, accumulated garbage, cockroaches and outstanding utility bills. The email was sent to the property owner and to Ba\u00f1uelos.<\/p>\n

Ba\u00f1uelos testified that ceiling tiles had been replaced and a leak on the roof had been fixed. She alleged a contractor had been brought in to oversee repair work.<\/p>\n

Wallace asked Ba\u00f1uelos if she agreed that the residents\u2019 quality of life is currently good.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Ba\u00f1uelos replied.<\/p>\n

During cross examination, Borders questioned Ba\u00f1uelos as to the status of the utilities, revealing that water to the building could be disconnected due to nonpayment on Nov. 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ba\u00f1uelos said the bill for the water was more than $17,000. She testified that she had not yet arranged an amount with the city that would prevent the shutoff and did not yet know how much she could afford to pay, but she asserted that she would ensure a payment was made and that the water would not be shut off.<\/p>\n

For Manor resident Latrice Tucker, news of the potential disconnection date came as a shock. She sat in the courtroom, her partner Gary Daniel beside her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s shut off, what happens to us?\u201d she said after the hearing concluded.<\/p>\n

Wallace declined to comment for this story on behalf of herself and Ba\u00f1uelos, saying they \u201cdon\u2019t comment on active litigation.\u201d The Report contacted Endeavor Group Real Estate for comment but did not receive a reply.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Sampract, senior assistant city attorney and section chief for public safety, said the city has further options beyond this week\u2019s municipal court hearing if ownership does not make repairs. The city can file a lawsuit in civil court and ask a court to appoint a receiver \u2014 another party who would take over operations. The city can also seek a court order compelling the ownership to fix the property.<\/p>\n

Because the judge declared the property substandard, the city can pursue receivership if it chooses to do so, he said. But even if that was not a requirement, he added, the city generally wants to give owners a chance to make repairs after they receive the order in such proceedings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just know that this property owner is a bad actor and code\u2019s been out there trying to work with them, but they haven’t had success, and so that\u2019s why no option\u2019s off the table now,\u201d Sampract said.<\/p>\n

Renaud believes receivership is the best option, as a receiver could collect the rent, quickly pay the water bill and begin repairs, he said. He has been working with tenants to inform them of their rights and connect them with resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Manor Independent Living is pictured on Sept. 24, 2026, in Fort Worth\u2019s Las Vegas Trail neighborhood. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

During the hearing, Ba\u00f1uelos testified that residents called the community home \u2014 and that she would, too, if she could.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I could live here and stay with them,\u201d Ba\u00f1uelos said. \u201cAnd, like, people are happy now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tucker has previously said that she did not want to leave. But the hearing seemed to be her last straw.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just need to get out,\u201d she said, emotion apparent in her voice. \u201cI’m just at the point of no return.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKinnon Rice is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Her position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact her at mckinnon.rice@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article<\/a> first appeared on Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.\u00a0\"""\"<\/p>\n

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