The Indiana Attorney General’s office sued a Brooklyn, New York-based operator Thursday for “deplorable conditions” at a La Porte mobile home community, according to a release.

Residents at Deerfield Estates, 7701 US-35, filed complaints last year saying they had brown and yellow water and were subject to prolonged shutoffs, a 29-day boil order, low pressure and flooding from water leaks.

The lawsuit also alleges the landlord used a ratio utility billing system — which didn’t calculate by usage — and billed residents for leaks they should have fixed. No one was on-site for several months and the company encouraged them to message an online community Facebook page with maintenance issues. A message left for Nelson Communities, the operator, was not immediately returned.

“Hoosiers deserve safe and livable housing, plain and simple,” Attorney General Todd Rokita said in a release. “The deplorable conditions at Deerfield Estates: dirty water, low pressure, extended shutoffs, and a lack of proper oversight are unacceptable.”

Rokita’s office is seeking financial restitution, civil penalties and lawyer’s costs.

mcolias@post-trib.com