Macon man files lawsuit against Macon-Bibb County after demolition of home
Arnold's lawsuit accuses Macon-Bibb County of retaliation, claiming officials sped up the process of demolishing the home after Arnold increased efforts to avoid it.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Bibb County homeowner Eric Arnold has filed a lawsuit against the county after his house on Sunnydale Drive was torn down.
Arnold says he purchased his house in 2022, hoping to repair it and turn it into a future home for his children or a rental property. He says he has worked as a carpenter and home renovator for decades, dismissing the notion that the home could not be properly restored.
“That’s what I’ve done for 40 years,” Arnold said Wednesday. “And they told me, ‘You can’t touch that house.’ So, it was just a bullying type of tactic that they used to try to scare me from touching my own house.”
Arnold’s lawsuit accuses Macon-Bibb County of retaliation, claiming officials sped up the process of demolishing the home after Arnold increased efforts to avoid it.
Arnold was at his other Macon home in September 2023 when his neighbor on Sunnydale Drive called to inform him that a demolition crew was installing a dumpster on his property. Eric says he talked and met with county officials to stop the demolition, while continuing his work to restore the property. Arnold claims he was taken by surprise when the home was torn down two months later due to a lack of communication from officials.
“I had no idea that they were knocking down the house until I got a phone call from the neighbor,” Arnold said. “And when I rushed down here, half the house was gone.”
In a statement shared with 41NBC, Macon-Bibb County Chief Communications Officer Chris Floore said the following:
“We have not yet been served any lawsuit regarding this property so cannot comment on the specifics. However, we are aware of the demolition on Sunnyvale Drive. A letter designating it as a Nuisance Per Se and blighted and that it would be torn down if not repaired was provided, as well as notice posted on the property. The letter is not legally required for this process, but we provide it as a form of notice and allow the property owner the option to fix their property. The property was sold in February 2022 (after it was deemed blighted), and Code Enforcement provided the new homeowner nearly 20 months to pull any construction permits or fix it up. No permits were pulled, and we were not made aware of any improvements made before the demolition permit was pulled in August 2023. There were still several months between that and when demolition of the blighted structure occurred.”
In the last three years, the county has demolished close to 800 blighted properties. Institute for Justice attorney Christie Hebert feels the county is moving at a rate that represents clear malpractice. Hebert says this case is a fight not only for Arnold, but for property owners across the county against what she calls “aggressive” efforts to tear down homes.
“It’s about protecting the constitutional right for all property owners in Macon-Bibb County and beyond,” Hebert said. “And if justice is done, the constitutional rights of property owners across the county will be protected.”
Arnold is not yet aware of the amount he’ll seek in damages, but he says it will reflect the amount of time and work he put into trying to restore the home.
