Landlord Wins $1.5M in Suit for Back Rent; Mortgage Broker Defaulted on Piedmont Center Lease but Disputed the Amount Owed; Fulton Magistrate Awards Damages and $157K in Fees

Following a bench trial held in installments on four separate days over a three week period, a Fulton County magistrate ruled that a once-prosperous mortgage brokerage must pay its landlord more than $1.5 million in damages and nearly $157,000 in attorney fees for defaulting on its lease as the bottom fell out of the real estate market.

According to Litigation and Dispute Resolution Partner Cynthia Burnside, who handled the case with Associate Andre Hendrick, Lenox Financial Mortgage LLC never denied owing back rent on its office space at Piedmont Center. The dispute centered on how much was due. "Their position was that there was a conversation between their principal and mine that amended the lease agreement," said Ms. Burnside, who represents TR Piedmont Center Corp. "Our position was that there was never a meeting of the minds."