St. Paul Landlords Could Have The City Paying Millions

A legal battle between the City of Saint Paul and a handful of landlords could force the city to pay millions.

It all centers around code enforcement.

The city says it was trying to make sure housing is safe and sanitary. Landlords who are part of the suit say the city went too far, hurting their rental business, hurting people who need affordable housing.

Twelve St. Paul landlords claim the city's aggressive code enforcement forced them to make expensive unnecessary repairs. They say the enforcement also forced them to cut back or sell out and that hurt affordable housing in St. Paul.

St. Paul City Attorney Gerald Hendrickson says the city's goal was better housing.

A new court decision says it's possible the code enforcement caused a "disproportionate adverse effect" on "racial minorities." Affordable housing "decreased as a result." Wednesday's decision opens the door for a court fight. If the landlords win, one attorney told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, the city could be on the hook for millions.