CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The potential sale of Northlake Mall has hit a bump in the road.
Lawyers for two victims, who were shot on mall property in 2022, have filed a motion to stop the purchase of the shopping center. Court documents show Bianca Brown and the estate of Armani Spencer are trying to stop a group out of Georgia from buying the troubled Northlake Mall property for only $39 million.
“Northlake Mall was purchased for $248 million and then this purchase was facilitated in part by a loan of $362 million,” said Queen City News Chief Legal Analyst Khalif Rhodes. “The numbers that are on the table now are not anywhere close to that.”
The attorneys for Brown and the estate of Spencer said the sale will affect their ability to recover any judgment against the mall for a 2022 shooting. The action comes in the midst of a pending lawsuit, claiming the mall failed to stop violent crime and provide adequate security.
“They’re asking for a couple of things,” said Rhodes. “Either stop the sale and/or force them to allow us to see this insurance so we know this sale can go through and we will still be compensated.”
The mall has been plagued with problems in recent history.
“It’s just been in the past few recent years that some kids that were irresponsible has given the mall a semi-black eye,” said James Allen, a shopper.
In early January, Hull Property Group expressed interest in buying the more than a million square foot shopping center from Spinoso Real Estate Group, which was appointed to take over the mall in 2021 after owners couldn’t pay their debts.
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“Maybe he just knows what to invest in and how to change the clientele that come there because I’m pretty sure that has a lot to do with it,” said Quality Jones, a shopper.
Those who frequent Northlake are excited about the possibility of someone revamping it if the purchase goes through.
“To stop the sale does stop those much-needed vendors that are still in the mall, those operators that are trying to figure out well who’s the new ownership going to come in here and who’s going to make sure that we get some needed things taken care of that probably haven’t been taken care of while it’s in receivership because the receiver’s sole responsibility is to make sure they can sell this property,” said Rhodes.
A court hearing for the sale’s approval is expected to happen on January 27.
