Court-appointed receiver files emergency motion to sell troubled Independence Towers
The court-appointed receiver for Independence Towers has asked for permission to expedite the sale of the troubled apartment building, according to an emergency motion filed Monday in Jackson County Circuit Court.
The receiver, San Diego-based property management giant Trigild Inc., seeks the approval due to the possible erosion of property value and an ongoing legal battle with tenants attempting to form a class-action lawsuit against the borrower, 728 N Jennings RD Partners LLC, which Kansas City real estate investor Parker Webb, the CEO of FTW Investments LLC, controls.
Trigild said it has reached an agreement to sell the apartment tower at 728 N. Jennings Road in Independence to PG Independence Tower LLC, an Indiana limited liability company, for $2.8 million.
Jason Leiker, an attorney for 728 N Jennings RD Partners and FTW Investments, declined to comment on the motion for the emergency sale.
The Independence Tower Tenant Union, organized by local tenant union KC Tenants, said in a news release Tuesday afternoon that they will not stop organizing despite the news.
“We are not pawns for buyers and sellers to toss around. We are tenants, and this is our home. Even though we have been forced to endure unthinkable conditions here, we have organized and fought for Independence Towers. The future of this property depends on our rent,” they said in a statement. “We will not stop organizing until we have the agency we deserve, and until we negotiate a lease that protects us.”
Jackson County Judge Charles H. McKenzie has set a hearing on the motion for 1:30 p.m. Friday.
The proceeds from the sale would go to lender Fannie Mae to pay the outstanding balance loan and the expenses of the receivership.
Living with cold water, roaches, mice
The proposed sale of the apartment towers comes after a year-long legal battle by Fannie Mae and 728 N Jennings RD Partners.
Fannie Mae contended that limited liability company failed to maintain the building according to its loan agreement and accelerated the loan payments.
Residents have complained about poor living conditions, including issues with cockroaches, mice and other pests and the lack of air conditioning, heat and hot water.
In February 2024, Fannie Mae filed a lawsuit and sought an emergency appointment of a receiver. In the filing, Fannie Mae said that as of Jan. 2, 2024, it was owed nearly $5.6 million, which included the loan’s principal, accrued interest, attorney fees and late charges.
In May, McKenzie appointed Trigild as receiver of the property, replacing the former building management, Tango Property Management LLC, which FTW Investments owns.
The building’s owner filed a counterclaim against Fannie Mae, accusing it of breach of contract, and breach of good faith and fair dealing.
A tenant in August asked the court for permission to intervene in the dispute on behalf of tenants in the building, contending neither Fannie Mae nor the building’s owner had the ability or legal right to protect her and the other tenants’ interests and rights.
The judge, however, ruled that intervention was not proper in the case based on existing precedents.
Also in August, two former tenants — one from Independence Towers, the other from Stoneybrook East apartment complex next door — filed a lawsuit in Jackson County Circuit Court. They are seeking class action status against FTW and its partners citing horrid conditions they endured and retaliation against one of the tenants, Randall Carver, after he was “kicked out” after he complained.
Tenants union, a child’s death and rent strike
When U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II toured apartments at Independence Tower in September, he called the living conditions unacceptable.
“Some of it is worse than your words, I don’t know how I’m going to describe it to people,“ Cleaver said.
Residents of Independence towers unionized with KC Tenants in May after the building’s hot water system was down for two weeks, following months of serious plumbing, heating and cooling, and pest control issues.
In June, an alleged arson fire damaged multiple units on the lower floors of the building.
In July, 3-year-old Tidus Bass fell to his death out of an eight-story window at the apartment building. Moses Lee Bass and Destiny Lee Randle each were charged with first-degree child endangerment, a felony, in the boy’s death.
Then, in October, some tenants started a rent strike, which remains ongoing.
The Star’s Noelle Alviz-Gransee contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 2:04 PM.
