Landlord found tweet while fighting tenant's lawsuit

The landlord suing a former Uptown tenant for an alleged Twitter post complaining of mold in her apartment shed some light Tuesday on just what prompted the legal battle — saying she sued first.

Horizon Realty Group issued a statement saying the company came across the offending May 12 “tweet” while defending a class action lawsuit Amanda Bonnen filed last month against the management company.

Cook County Circuit Court records confirm the suit Bonnen filed against Horizon, but details weren’t immediately available. The realty company only said Bonnen sued over alleged violations of the Chicago Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance (RLTO).

But in its statement, Horizon states that no mold was ever found in Bonnen’s unit. However, water leaked in to her apartment and others at 4242 N. Sheridan in March after a contractor made mistakes repairing the roof.

“At that time, we immediately contacted all affected tenants to assess and resolve any reported water damage that occurred during these repairs. Ultimately, all tenant grievances were quickly and amicably resolved, except Ms. Bonnen's,” the Horizon statement said.

Bonnen filed a class action suit against the company on June 2 and moved out, after her lease expired, June 30, the company said.

“There was no evidence of mold in her apartment” at the time she moved out, the company stated.

After that, the company came across a May 12 Twitter post by someone identified as Amanda Bonnen from Chicago and using the handle “abonnen” that stated: “Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it’s okay.”

On Monday, the company filed a libel lawsuit and is seeking $50,000 in damages.

Jeff Michael, whose family has run Horizon for 25 years, told the Sun-Times the company hadn’t talked with Bonnen about her post, nor had anyone asked her to remove the comment.

“We’re a sue first, ask questions later kind of an organization,” he said, noting that the company manages 1,500 apartments in Chicago and has a good reputation it wants to preserve.

Bonnen’s Twitter account has been pulled down and attempts to reach her Monday and Tuesday were unsuccessful.