A lawsuit filed by the City of Champaign against the out-of-town owner of run-down apartment buildings remains unresolved heading into 2026. 

Champaign has been involved with an ongoing legal battle starting in 2022 against the owners of the now-condemned Champaign Park Apartments. The owner of the properties, Champaign Apartments Owner LLC, is a company based in New York run by Michael Chetrit. 

Chetrit is the co-founder of Chetrit Ventures, a family-owned real estate development company. He has owned the apartments since February 2022, county assessment records show. 

In the span of 2021 to 2023, the city recorded 142 tenant complaints at Champaign Park Apartments, the most of any property in Champaign during this period. According to the city, these complaints were filed by residents complaining about a lack of water, heat and overall maintenance. 

In late 2022, some of the apartment buildings were condemned due to poor conditions and overall neglect of the properties. Displaced residents were placed in motels and temporary housing, which cost the city over an estimated $250,000.

Even after being fully condemned this summer, the complex began to have a squatting problem as there was still active electricity in some of the buildings meant to be vacant. 

Earlier this year, a fire broke out in one of the three-story buildings. The Champaign Fire Department found the cause of the fire was due to electrical usage in one of the condemned properties. 

This year, the city got court approval to remove anyone living at the apartments with the condition of giving them 24 hours notice by signage. The electricity in the buildings was completely shut off after being approved this past July. 

While the case against the out-of-town owner is ongoing, attention turned to the Metropolitan Commercial Bank. It is the bank that represents the limited liability company and acts as the service provider for the company. 

In September, the city requested the defendant, the bank, provide a written statement on whether it has given all the necessary documents and information that was asked for. The four parts of the requests included any documentation on repair costs for the buildings, property valuation, ownership changes and any potential sales agreements. 

The four parts read as follows:

• Documents relating to or concerning the repair costs of buildings or any portion thereof on the Property, including, without limitation, contractor estimates. 
• Any and all documents relating to or concerning the valuation of any building located on the Property as well as the entire Property itself, including but not limited to appraisal reports. 
• Any and all documents pertaining to releases or assignments of interests in the Property of any kind in your custody, possession or control, from or by Michael Chetrit or Champaign Apartments Owner LLC.
• Any and all purchase and sales agreements in your custody, possession or control from any party pertaining to the purchase or sale of the Property. 

On Aug. 13, the circuit court ordered a case management order setting the timeline and rules for the proceedings for the plaintiff and defendant, with dates running into January next year.

The order reads as follows: 

• The Parties shall issue supplemental written discovery requests (IL Civ. Rule of Procedure 213 and 214 requests) no later than Sept. 16, 2025;
• The Parties shall answer all previously issued and supplemental Rule 213 and 214 discovery requests (fact only) by Oct. 22, 2025;
• Fact witness depositions to be completed and fact discovery to close by Nov. 28, 2025;
• The Parties shall tender expert disclosures and expert reports by Nov. 28, 2025;
• Expert depositions to be completed by Jan. 9, 2026;
• A pretrial conference is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. in Courtroom F.