Trailer park owner to pay residents who lacked water

MOSCOW (AP) - The owner of an Idaho mobile home park must pay damages to residents who went more than 90 days without potable drinking water.

Roughly 140 residents filed a class-action lawsuit last year against Magar E. Magar, owner of the Syringa Mobile Home Park in Moscow. Documents filed last week in Latah County 2nd District Court reveal the settlement, the Lewiston Tribune reported.

According to the deal, Magar can't close the park for at least the next year and must pay $2,000 per mobile home unit to all current park residents. Of that, $1,000 will be paid in the form of rent credit that will be disbursed at the rate of $250 per month starting March 1.

Former residents who lived at the park between Dec. 18, 2013, and March 20, 2014, will get $2,000 per mobile home unit, the documents state.

Residents still have to submit evidence of out-of-pocket costs they sustained because of Magar's inadequate operation and maintenance of the park's fresh water and wastewater systems. Upon receipt of that evidence, Magar will be ordered to reimburse the residents.

Any residents who have had issues selling or renting their homes because of the issue will bring their claims before Latah County 2nd District Judge John R. Stegner. Abandoned homes will be signed over to Magar.

Mediation took place Feb. 4 with Senior Judge Carl B. Kerrick. The court granted preliminary approval of the agreement Wednesday.

Members of the class-action lawsuit who are not satisfied with the settlement will have 45 days to opt out.

Separately, a federal court recently ordered Magar to pay a civil penalty of $100,000 for violating the Clean Water Act. The fine is due to the U.S. Treasury by Sunday, the newspaper reports.