Astoria Tower tenants sue over alleged eviction notices after city enforcement action

Current and former residents of Chicago’s Astoria Tower filed a proposed class action over alleged retaliation tied to rent reductions taken under the city’s tenant-protection ordinance. The suit follows a separate Chicago housing-enforcement action and cites dozens of code violations at the South Loop high-rise.

Why it matters: - The case could affect how Chicago landlords respond when tenants use the city’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance to seek rent reductions for serious habitability problems. - The lawsuit also raises the stakes for Astoria Tower residents who say they were threatened with 5-day eviction notices after organizing collectively.

What happened: - Current and former tenants of Astoria Tower filed a proposed class action in Cook County Chancery Court against Chicago Locations Management, LLC d/b/a 3L Living, Astoria Apartments, LLC, and 8 East 9th Street Ground Owner, LLC. - The case is Basu, et al. v. Chicago Locations Management, LLC, et al. (Case No. 2026CH05413). - The tenants are represented by Róisín Duffy-Gideon and Matthew Owens of Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C. - Astoria Tower is a 30-story residential high-rise in Chicago’s South Loop. - The City of Chicago had already filed its own housing-enforcement action against Astoria Tower in November 2025.

The details: - Public Chicago inspection records show at least 47 code violations at the property between November 2024 and April 2026. - The cited problems involve the building’s fire-suppression system, elevators, and heating and cooling. - Residents formed the Astoria Tower Tenants Association to use the RLTO notice-and-remedy process together. - The lawsuit alleges the defendants served 5-day eviction notices on dozens of residents who were participating in the rent reductions. - The suit seeks certification of a tenant class and subclass, declaratory and injunctive relief, proof of compliance, damages, statutory remedies, attorneys’ fees, and an order blocking the defendants from treating the RLTO rent reductions as delinquent rent. - Duffy-Gideon said, “Everyone deserves a safe and healthy place to live.” - Owens said class-action litigation lets residents “pursue accountability together.”

Between the lines: - The filing suggests tenants are trying to turn a building-specific maintenance dispute into a broader test of tenant rights and landlord enforcement tactics. - The fact that the city also took action against the property strengthens the tenants’ argument that the complaints were not isolated. - The requested order on delinquency is especially important because it could shape whether rent reductions are treated as protected tenant remedies or lease violations.

What’s next: - The court must decide whether to certify the proposed class and subclass. - The defendants will need to respond to the allegations and the request for injunctive relief. - Any ruling could influence similar disputes at other Chicago apartment buildings with repeated code violations.