AnnTaylor store seeks damages from landlord

The St. Augustine local news desk at Historic City News has learned that last month, AnnTaylor Stores Corp. filed suit against Chelsea Property Group, Inc. and Simon Property Group, Inc. the owners and operators of the outlet mall in St. Augustine.

The lawsuit claims that on August 21, 2008, barely a month after the lease for the space began, the Ann Taylor Factory store at the St. Augustine Premium Outlets suffered “water damage, property damage, inventory damage and significant other damages requiring extensive repairs and mitigation efforts” that included closing the store for a period of time.

In the complaint, the attorney for the Ann Taylor Factory store wrote, “the roof was faulty and not in an acceptable condition” and the water leak was caused by or was allowed to occur and spread “due to the negligence and carelessness of the defendants, its agents, employees, and personnel.”

Pursuant to the lease agreement, Simon “was obligated and responsible for the store’s structure, including its roof, and was responsible for all repairs to the structure of the store, including the roof,” according to AnnTaylor’s complaint.

In their lawsuit, AnnTaylor Stores is demanding a jury trial in the matter before the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida to resolve their dispute over the leaky roof. The company says Simon and Simon’s outlet division, Chelsea Property Group Inc., are responsible for the leaks that caused more than $75,000 worth of damage to its local outlet store.

Photo credit: © 2010 Historic City News photographer Kerry McGuire