UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — A legal battle is underway as rotten fish continues to be removed from Seafood City Supermarket near 81st and Olive Boulevard in University City, Missouri.
The property manager and business owner are going head-to-head while neighbors deal with the horrible smell.
Back in March, the St. Louis County Health Department ordered the business to shut down after saying some products were improperly stored and it operated without a health permit.
The lawsuits
Six Fortune LLC is suing Seafood City Inc. saying the business owner owes more than $300,000 in rent and fees. Seafood City Inc.'s lease began in April 2018 and it was supposed to last 10 years.
On Aug.16, the plaintiff filed its petition for rent and possession. The lawsuit claims the business owner of failing to pay rent on time and in full, saying it was a breach of lease.
It read, "Despite repeated demand, defendant has failed and refused."
Due to pending litigation, the attorney for Six Fortune LCC said they were unable to comment.
Timothy Lemen, attorney for Seafood City, said the legal fight started even before this recent petition. Lemen said Seafood City sued Six Fortune LLC back in December 2022.
Lemen explained the health department kicked his client out and there had been issues with the roof before the client assumed ownership.
Lemen said repairs were made to the roof, but they were inadequate to properly address the issues.
Now, there are two petitions against one another.
Seafood City lawsuit filed against Six Fortune
Six Fortune lawsuit filed against Seafood City
The clean up
While this was all happening in the last months, University City leaders stepped in this month saying, the owners weren't moving fast enough and the smell was only getting worse.
University City hired Bio-One to clean up the mess of fish, products and produce that's been rotting in the building for months.
Jessica Qiu lives behind the Seafood City Supermarket.
"I smell it when the wind blows a certain way," Qiu said.
Webster University's biological sciences instructor, Dr. Julie Mehringer, said she knows the possible risks.
"The rotten fish smell is an ammonia nitrogen containing compound and it can be irritating the respiratory system and the eyes," Mehringer added.
With the decaying materials inside the former supermarket, Qiu currently has new unwelcomed guests.
"Every day, we have 20 new flies come in," she added.
Mehringer points to the problems inside.
"The most likely suspect are probably flies laying maggots in the dead meat and that will eat the dead fish for food and then hatch additional flies," Mehringer said.
A spokesperson with University City said they've added extra police on site because some people were trying to steal food products from the dumpsters.
Mehringer highly recommends not consuming any of the items.
What's next?
If the parties don't work out the dispute, a trial date is set for Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. in St. Louis County.
Cleaning crews are expecting to continue removing items for the rest of this week.
Residents are encouraged to contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources at 573-634-2436 or the EPA Region 7 Spill Line at 913-281-0991 if they suspect there has been a release, or threatened release, of hazardous substances.