After mistakenly demolishing Atlanta man’s home, the city wants him to pay $68k cost of demolition

The Atlanta City Council has come under fire for demolishing a resident’s home mistakenly and is now suing the resident to pay for the demolition cost. The council stoked controversy in March this year after mixing up its order and demolishing a century-old home owned by Everett Tripodis and his family. The family had intended to renovate the structure before bulldozers unexpectedly razed the entire structure.

City inspectors said the structure was uninhabitable due to clutter and vulnerable entrance, despite Tripodis’ family’s adherence to legal requirements by listing the property on Atlanta’s vacant property registry. The official demolition hearing notice was for Lawton Avenue zip code 30314. But Tripodis’s home is on Lawton Street, which is in the 30310 zip code about 1.4 miles away.

Now, Tripodis is facing another dilemma. City authorities are demanding he pays for the $68,000 cost of the demolition. He said when he was served with the papers, he thought it was a letter of apology and a decision to compensate. But, to his disappointment, the Council was taking legal action to compel him to pay saying it intends to foreclose and take the property, according to WSB-TV.

Despite public outcry, the council has not rectified the situation and has repeated the error, intensifying frustration for Tripodis. He had already taken legal action against the city for the initial demolition mistake, a case that remains unresolved in Fulton Court.

Additionally, he now faces a foreclosure lawsuit, requiring a response within a few weeks. The mayor’s office is yet to explain the rationale behind their action, only tersely indicating that they’re investigating the matter.