LAFAYETTE PARISH — UPDATE: The owners of Himbola Manor were fined $32,296 by a judge after failing to address more than 100 inspection violations from the city.
The fines were levied against the company during an adjudication bureau hearing Wednesday morning despite repeated requests by Eric Pullen - Himbola's attorney - for an extension to fix the violations.
Judge Stuart Bowie with the adjudication bureau said Himbola had "plenty of money" to fix the violations but only addressed them once they were asked to.
Pullen blamed the delays on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) stating they have not been responsive to Himbola Manor after submitting mold and plumbing reports.
However, Judge Bowie did not side with Pullen, saying "This has been going on an absolutely long time, your client is being paid to take care of people who have a little bit of trouble in taking care of themselves."
"The issue I have with saying let's push this down the road and see how much y'all can fix, is looking at these pictures and they are extensive," Bowie said.
"They're entrusted by the state, by the country and whoever they're entrusted by to take care of these people and they clearly violated that trust," Bowie added.
It was revealed that of the 135 units at Himbola Manor, 35 units, or 26 percent, were found with mold and elevated fungal counts, while 31 percent of the complex was found to have "extensive damage."
Of the 132 violations previously noted at Himbola Manor, 103 were still not resolved.
Pullen told the court that various corrections had been made and more work is ongoing but much of the work was delayed while waiting on recommendations and contractor bids.
Bowie once again described Himbola conditions as "unacceptable."
A third hearing has been set for Oct. 2, to determine how long it will take to correct the violations. Bowie said daily fines will be imposed on Himbola if the violations are not fixed.
This is a developing story.
