MILWAUKEE — Attorneys who represented Northridge Mall's owner have since withdrawn from a lawsuit that challenged a city demolition order, according to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal.
The attorneys reportedly told a judge their clients are not meeting obligations under a contract signed in 2019. Court filings by von Briesen & Roper attorneys did not specify those obligations.
The withdrawal means the mall owner, U.S. Black Spruce Enterprise Group Inc., must find new counsel if it wants to continue to challenge the City of Milwaukee demolition order, the Milwaukee Business Journal reports. According to an affidavit filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, a dozen notices were given to the company beginning in June of 2020 for failure to meet obligations under its contract, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.
The long-vacant mall was hit by the city demolition order in 2019 for being "dilapidated, vandalized" and "a public nuisance." The order was also based on health and safety concerns. The order gave the building's owners 20 days to demolish the mall or appeal.
The Milwaukee Business Journal reports that U.S. Black Spruce has said in public and through its court filings that it still plans to renovate the building to become a market for Asian goods.
