Lawyers fight to keep offices

YOUNGSTOWN -- Two lawyers have filed suit in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, seeking an injunction to prevent their new landlords from padlocking their offices or evicting them from downtown's historic Stambaugh Building, 44 Federal Plaza.
Attys. Robert Duffrin and Martin E. Yavorcik filed suit after receiving a letter Wednesday from Atty. Gus Frangos of Hudson, who represents Platia Square LLC and USA Parking Systems Inc., in which Frangos threatens to padlock their law offices if they haven't vacated them within 15 days. Platia and USA are the building's new owners.
The suit says the lawyers signed a three-year lease, effective Sept. 1, 2005, at $750 a month with the building's former owner, Pacific Coast Investment Co. of Seattle, and that the lawyers made $15,000 worth of improvements to their second-floor offices.
But the suit alleges the new owners failed to provide a working elevator, heat, air conditioning or a proper electrical system.
The suit says the new owners knew about the lease when they bought the building, but Frangos said the lawyers weren't listed as tenants on the title report; therefore there is no valid lease.
Futhermore, Frangos said Duffrin and Yavorcik have improperly refused to pay their rent because of improvements they allege were not made by the owners.
The case is assigned to Judge Maureen Sweeney, and a hearing is set for 10 a.m. Thursday before Magistrate Dennis Sarisky.