By Laura JonesPublished April 16, 2019 09:16:40Redmond, Washington (AP) A group of about 100 homeowners who say they live in a red roof tile factory in a community known as the Redwoods are suing the company and its owners for wrongful eviction.
Redwood City Homes, LLC, is a red-tile maker based in Redmond, Washington.
They sued the residents and the town in April after receiving death threats from some residents who were angry about their complaints.
They also filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in California.
The suit says the company has been trying to evict residents from the community for years because of the company’s “reckless disregard for the health and safety of its employees.”
The suit also alleges the company illegally moved residents out of the Redwood City Apartments in Redmond and in other cities to avoid paying rent and other taxes.
Redmond is one of more than 300 communities in the country that are using red roof tiles.
The tiles are made by the tile maker in China.
They are made of a mix of recycled materials, which the company says is a better alternative than the hardwood flooring that’s being phased out.
Redwoods residents, mostly elderly and low-income, complain about the tiles because they are very hard, and they have become an eyesore.
They say they are unsafe to live in, as the tiles are coated in mold.
The lawsuit says the tiles were manufactured by a Chinese company and are made in factories all over the world and that the company failed to provide adequate warning of the risks to workers and residents.
It also says the tile factory did not follow proper manufacturing safety procedures.