Tenants at Ridgeway Park Apartments in Flemingsburg have temporary court protection from eviction efforts over pro-union signs displayed in their windows, under an order issued Sept. 21 by a Franklin Circuit Court judge. Judge Phillip Shepherd’s restraining order directs Ridgeway Park Owner LLC, which owns the Fleming County complex, to halt those efforts. The tenant union sued Sept. 15, alleging that property managers threatened members with eviction and issued lease-violation notices over signs reading “TENANT UNION PROUD!” The dispute centers on a collectively bargained lease negotiated with OSPM LLC, a Texas-based property management company connected to the complex’s ownership. Kentucky Tenant Union, which helped organize residents at Ridgeway Park and other OSPM-associated properties, described the lease as the first of its kind in the U.S. South. Its terms include protection against retaliation, according to the union’s lawsuit. Mary Lou Abner, a vice president of the Ridgeway Park Tenant Union who has lived at the complex for more than 20 years, said members remain concerned about retaliation and some are still afraid to put up signs. “The signs mean everything to us. It brought us power,” Abner said, describing the effort as a fight for renters’ rights. The lawsuit also alleges the management company has not followed through on other lease provisions, including installing security lights and cleaning air ducts. Abner said the complex has had seven property managers in a little more than two years. Jason Ostro, identified on LinkedIn as OSPM’s chief operating officer, disputed several claims in the lawsuit and said a reorganization of the apartment complex’s parent company has complicated the case. He said the complex has house rules barring signs outside designated community areas and said the company wants to resolve the dispute. The tenant union’s attorney, Andrew Chandler, said the lease does not contain the signage rule Ostro described. He called the court case part of a broader effort to enforce the agreement and said collectively bargained leases could give tenants a way to vindicate their rights in court. The union planned a Friday afternoon gathering at the complex to celebrate the restraining order, with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker expected to attend. In a statement, Booker said he was proud to stand with the tenants and called the prospect of eviction over union signs in residents’ homes “despicable.”