Tenants at the Cedar Run apartment complex in Denver filed a lawsuit Monday against the owner and management company, alleging unsafe conditions and that ownership has failed to maintain the property.
The suit was filed in Denver County Court by two tenants — Mark Sokolaj and Haley Eicher — who claim that the southeast Denver apartment complex at 888 S. Oneida St. often has multiple unsecured doors that leave tenants vulnerable to break-ins and crime. The lawsuit states the issues date back to at least 2020.
The lawsuit was filed against Gelt Venture Partners and Apartment Management Consultants, LLC.
As a result of the unsecured doors, the lawsuit states that hallways and stairwells are “littered with blood stains, bullet holes, needles and drug paraphernalia, human waste,” and notes other hazards such as missing smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
“We've seen violence and vandalism from people who don't live here. You never know who belongs here and who doesn't. It's scary, and it causes conflicts,” Sokolaj said during a press conference Monday. “The property has been destroyed. Our mailboxes have been ripped out of the wall, and we need to go to the post office to collect mail. Our laundry rooms have been destroyed. We can no longer do laundry on site.”
On one occasion, the lawsuit alleges that vandalism took place in utility rooms, leaving a portion of the complex without electricity and water.
You can read the full lawsuit below.
The problems are ongoing, according to the lawsuit, despite fines and liens from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE).
According to DDPHE, the department has fielded 38 complaints since 2023 and issued 17 citations, totaling $60,498. Ownership has paid seven of those citations, totaling $19,249. Two citations are being appealed while the rest are past due or in collections.
DDPHE has also placed three liens on the property since October 2024. One of those liens was paid off. The most recent lien was placed on March 4 for $10,999.
“It takes a lot of courage to stand up to a bully landlord who's failing to fix repairs, fix doors, and get a building into working condition,” said attorney Andrew Lipscomb, who is representing the tenants. “We're excited to get some sort of resolution here, whether it's voluntarily through the landlord or through the courts.”
Gelt Venture Partners provided a statement Monday to Denver7 Investigates. It reads:
"We are doing everything in our power to provide our residents with a clean and safe place to call home. We are consistently working with the Denver health department to repair – and often re-repair – exterior and interior damage typically caused by non- residents who break into the buildings. We have recently spent $200,000 on new doors, better lighting, locks and other maintenance. Additionally, Denver police check on the property every week, and we are working with them to stop those who aren’t residents from entering our buildings to get warm.”
The apartment complex was in the news in early February when it was at the center of an immigration enforcement operation led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
- Watch our coverage from the operation in the video below:
Following those raids, the owner of the complex blamed the City of Denver for “assigning” immigrants to live at the complex and saying that this was the root cause of the complex’s issues.
The City of Denver denied those claims.
At Monday’s press conference, Denver Metro Tenants Union Executive Director Eida Altman placed the blame on the owner and management company for the conditions.
“Those slumlords may blame tenants, they may blame the City of Denver, and they're going to pick on immigrants,” Altman said. “But the problems that have persisted at Cedar Run go back years. And they are squarely, solely the responsibility of Gelt Ventures.”
The complex has been on the city's radar for roughly a year as it was identified as a crime hot spot by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's office. Denver police data shows that the complex had 143 calls for service between March 31, 2024 and Jan. 12, 2025. Denver Police Cmdr. Joel Bell said however that the department had seen a dip in violent crime at Cedar Run.
"There has been a large decrease in calls of service for violent crimes or weapons offenses in particular," Bell said. "We have had an increase in other types of calls of service: disturbances, domestic violence. And that's actually what we want because we're doing more community outreach where we're building trust.”
