The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office and members of a resident association at the Broadmoor Valley mobile home park say they’re thinking about how to move forward after this week’s civil trial against park owners.

“I was in shock last night, when they told me the outcome,” said Jesus Hernandez, a Broadmoor Valley resident and president of the residents association. Hernandez had also testified at the trial.

On Thursday, a jury found that while Schierholz and Associates, the company that owns Broadmoor Valley, had failed to keep the park’s common areas in a clean and orderly state within the past 5 years, company president Paul Schierholz wasn’t knowingly a part of it.

The jury also said the Broadmoor Valley owners were not liable for the other claims in the lawsuit brought by the Attorney General’s Office in 2021.

“Attorney General (Keith) Ellison is committed to ensuring Minnesotans live in communities that are clean, orderly, and sanitary, and that residents are treated fairly and with the respect that all Minnesotans deserve,” said Brian Evans, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office. “The Attorney General’s Office is currently evaluating how to proceed in light of the jury’s verdict regarding circumstances at the Broadmoor Valley mobile home park.”

The Attorney General’s Office had sought civil penalties in its lawsuit against the Broadmoor Valley owners, as well as updates to the mobile home park and restitution to residents. However, Thursday’s verdict said park owners had not charged illegally high fees for late rent, and that the park’s roads did allow normal travel.

Hernandez said the outcome of the trial was frustrating.

“It’s very disappointing, for the second time,” he said. The resident association had also tried on its own to sue the Broadmoor Valley owners, but they were unsuccessful.

Hernandez said the main concern for him and other residents was the safety and dignity of people living in Broadmoor Valley. “They are being treated like lower-class citizens, and that really hurts,” he said.

Hernandez said members of the resident association would also be talking about what steps to take next. “As an association, we don’t want to give up,” he said.