Kinzie Realty Corp., Central Park Apartments LP face class action over alleged security deposit laws violations

A woman has filed a class action lawsuit accusing a Chicagoland property manager of violating several rental security deposit laws.

Allison Weaver, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, filed a class action lawsuit Oct. 21 in Cook County Circuit Court against Central Park Apartments LP, doing business as Central Park Apartments, and Kinzie Realty Corp.

According to the complaint, Weaver signed a lease with the defendants to become a tenant of a property on Western Avenue in Park Forest on Aug. 3, 2013, when she paid a $500 deposit, and claims the defendants provided her a concession of a lower rental rate.

Weaver claims the defendants violated the Illinois Rent Concession Act by trying to mislead her into believing their units had higher rental values than they actually did.

She also contends that after she vacated her apartment, the defendants failed to provide an itemized statement of deductions made from her security deposit, failed to pay security deposit interest, and returned her deposit a month late in violation of the Illinois Security Deposit Return and Illinois Security Deposit Interest acts.

Weaver, who claims other tenants have experienced the same issue with the defendants, is seeking damages at least twice the amount of the security deposit, plus costs and fees.

She is represented by attorneys Berton N. Ring and Stuart M. Clarke of Berton N. Ring P.C. in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2014CH17014.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.