| By Big Radio News Staff |
A Rock County judge rules in favor of the city of Janesville and orders a property owner to pay thousands of dollars in fines.
Richard Donahue had a one-day court trial before Judge John Wood on Wednesday. At issue were dozens of citations the city of Janesville issued last winter for nine rental properties. Violations ranged from junk in the yards to bed bug infestations.
After being ordered to pay $18,000 in fines for a total of 36 citations, Donahue told the court he was no longer a landlord and had sold all his rental properties.
Mary Donahue, Richard Donahue’s wife, had also faced 10 citations for properties where she was listed as an owner. The judge dismissed those.
Last winter, Donahue evicted more than 100 families just prior to settling a federal sexual harassment lawsuit. One of the terms of the settlement was that Donahue could no longer act as a landlord.
City officials say many of his former properties remain in disrepair as Donahue simply sold them to his former tenants on land contracts without fixing them up.
