NEW ORLEANS – A Jefferson Parish man is suing the holders of a 30-year lease on a building he owns for allegedly abandoning the property and failing to repair it after Hurricane Katrina.
Edward R. Drury of Jefferson Parish has filed suit against Michelle Julian Brown and Thomas Brown also of Jefferson Parish.
Drury alleges he owned property and a building in Lake Forest Subdivision in New Orleans that in 1976, he leased to Ronald Brown. The 30-year lease purportedly stipulated that Brown would pay his share of the property taxes and parking lot maintenance, carry fire and flood insurance, and make his own repairs and maintenance on the leased property.
The lawsuit states that in 2001, Brown died passing the lease to Michelle Brown who later sold partial interest in the lease to Julian. As a result of Hurricane Katrina, the property was allegedly damaged and never repaired by the defendants.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants breached the lease for failing to pay their share of the property taxes from 1995-2005, failed to make all repairs and improvements since the hurricane and failed to carry flood insurance at the time of the hurricane.
On Oct. 11, 2006, Drury notified the defendants that they were in violation of the terms of the lease and, alleged as of the filing of the lawsuit, they have failed and/or refused to correct these breaches and now seek damages.
Drury is representing himself pro se in the action.
The case has been assigned to Division B Judge Regina H. Woods.
Case No. 15-07049.