BENTON – A homeowners association for Madison County residential lots allegedly wrongfully collected money from the owners of two properties in Edwardsville.
Bruce C. Edwards, Angela K. Edwards, Timothy Couch and Amanda Couch filed a complaint on Jan. 24 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Holishor Association Inc., et al., alleging violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs reside on St. James Drive in Edwardsville. They allege that because of the expiration of covenants and restrictions in 1975, "no owner in the chain of title of either of the plaintiffs' properties has recorded any agreement to subject their property to the defendants' control," the suit states.
The plaintiffs allege the defendants committed a threat of extortion to obtain money from them by threatening to have their water and sewer services disconnected if they did not consent to the defendants’ covenants, rules, assessments and restrictions.
They allege that as a result of the defendants’ racketeering activities, they have been damaged for being deprived of the use of their monies, humiliation and loss of business reputation.
The plaintiffs request a trial by jury and seek to recover monies that were wrongfully collected from them, an order declaring the defendants have no right to impose any of their rules and regulations upon the their properties and such other relief the court deems appropriate.
They are represented by Thomas W. Burkart of Burkart Law in Hamel.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 3:18-cv-00134