Attorney General Reacts to Big Country Chateau Owners Being Found in Contempt

Griffin: ‘This is the latest in a string of conduct that disrespects the rule of law’

LITTLE ROCK – Following a show cause hearing held today where the three companies behind the Big Country Chateau apartments were found in contempt, Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement:

“The owners of Big Country Chateau continue to demonstrate a consistent and willful disregard for the court and its authority throughout this litigation. They have refused to provide documents to the Receiver, or even to appear in court when ordered. This is the latest in a string of conduct that disrespects the rule of law.

“I am hopeful that today’s ruling is a step toward a resolution of this matter and will encourage those behind Big Country Chateau to participate in the legal process and make amends for their detestable behavior against Arkansans.”

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Cara Connors imposed a $1,000-per-day fine each on Big Country Chateau, LLC, Apex Big Chateau AR, LLC, and Apex Equity Group, LLC for being in contempt of her order to provide documentation to the court-appointed receiver.

The Office of the Attorney General has sued the owners of Big Country Chateau for violations of the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act for failure to provide water service or safe and livable housing to tenants.

About Attorney General Tim Griffin

Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.

Griffin has served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 26 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.

He is currently serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana. His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Liberty (née Bragg), North Carolina, and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin attends Immanuel Baptist Church and lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.

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