DENVER — A Denver district judge on Monday ordered CBZ Management to comply with state subpoenas and turn over records showing how the company has run several of its Colorado properties, including several dilapidated buildings in Denver and Aurora that gained widespread national media attention last summer.
Denver District Court Judge Jill D. Dorancy gave CBZ Management and its subsidiaries until July 28 to comply with a set of subpoenas from the Colorado Attorney General’s Office that were issued back in September.
Judge Dorancy wrote that CBZ and its subsidiaries’ refusal to comply with the nearly year-long subpoenas was “unjustified and obstructs a lawful investigation” to determine if the company broke state consumer protection and safe housing laws.
The subpoenas, obtained by Denver7 through an open records request, seek a laundry list of documents related to the advertising, leasing and managing of the apartment units, communication with tenants, and the handling of and response to requests for maintenance, among other things, from five of the company’s LLCs that manage properties in the state.
The LLCs were also asked to provide documentation of their communication with, and relationship to, Zev Baumgarten, the CBZ owner who was allegedly beaten inside one of the company’s complexes after refusing a bribe from a group of men who had occupied a vacated apartment.
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But a month after those subpoenas were issued, CBZ’s lawyers sought to delay the handing over of those records, claiming in an email to Colorado Deputy Attorney General Kurtis Morrison that CBZ was “concerned [the subpoenas were] an extension of the antisemitism that our client has been plagued with” — a claim an Aurora judge dismissed last month.
CBZ lawyers then met with the attorney general’s office to “limit the scope and decrease the burden created” by the subpoenas and were granted four extensions between October and December 2024, according to court documents.
A lawsuit from CBZ against the AG’s Office then followed, in which the company’s lawyers asked a judge to quash the subpoenas, claiming the request was overbroad and flawed.
Attorney General Phil Weiser and his office then filed a suit of their own, asking a judge to order CBZ to hand over those records.
In her ruling Monday, Dorancy argued CBZ’s attempt to block the state investigation was “non-compliance, plain and simple” and sided with the attorney general’s office, saying the state “has a reasonable basis to believe CBZ and associated entities engaged in a pattern of unlawful conduct.”
- Denver7 has closely followed the saga involving CBZ Management over the last 11 months. Read some of our latest coverage here:
Denver7 coverage of CBZ Management
Aurora city attorney says case against CBZ Management owner 'at a standstill' Aurora court issues arrest warrant for CBZ Management owner after no-show CBZ landlord accuses Aurora officials of targeting him for being Jewish APD chief calls closure of troubled complex 'turning point' in crime fight City responds to claims made by advocates as Edge of Lowry officially closes Former tenants of infamous Aurora complex find new home after closureCBZ Management for months claimed its complexes were taken over by members of the Venezuelan prison gran Tren de Aragua. Those claims would put Aurora on the national spotlight after doorbell camera video captured six armed men entering a neighboring apartment unit at the troubled Edge of Lowry apartment complex minutes before a fatal shooting in August.
Residents and Aurora city officials, however, pointed the finger at a lengthy history of code violations at the company’s properties, including mice infestations, ceiling damage, and dozens of unlawful vehicles parked in the parking lot. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman would later refer to the New York-based property owner as an “out-of-state slumlord” who was exploiting the narrative around Venezuelan gangs for their own benefit.
In Denver, city health officials have spent years investigating complaints filed against three CBZ properties. While one of those properties — the William Penn Apartment complex — was shut down due to violations and fees owed, the same doesn't apply to the two remaining Denver properties owned by the company, The Jewell and the Courtyard on Vine.
In a statement obtained by Denver7 Wednesday, Weiser said subpoenas from the state “are not a suggestion” and that his office will continue to follow the investigation in order to enforce the law. His full statement is below:
As the judge made clear, Attorney General subpoenas are not a suggestion—parties are required to comply with them. CBZ's refusal to comply with duly issued subpoenas, despite repeated extensions and accommodations, is unjustified and obstructs a lawful investigation into potential violations of state law. Companies that stonewall the AG's office will be held accountable. We will follow this investigation into CBZ to where the evidence leads and continue to enforce the law.
Monday’s ruling is the latest blow against the management company.
Earlier this year, Aurora city officials said they would place a lien on the Edge of Lowry and Whispering Pines apartment complexes after the former was shut down for good in order to recoup costs of closure and resident assistance to tenants who were forced to move out.
Last month, Baumgarten was slapped with several warrants for his arrest in Aurora after failing to appear at a code violations hearing related to the infamous properties.
In an interview with Denver7 shortly after those warrants were issued, Aurora City Attorney Pete Schulte said the case against Baumgarten was at a "standstill" after he failed to appear in court.
"These cases cannot move forward until Mr. Baumgarten shows up and makes an appearance," Schulte said.
