[03/15/01] The owners of two office buildings that had been occupied by the financially troubled Haworth Home Health have gotten a judgment in a Louisiana court for unpaid rents.

Haworth Home Health is a Vicksburg-based agency that supplies home health services in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. The owner and president is Ida Haworth.

The company’s financial troubles came to light in 2000 when a group of employees complained they had not been paid. Then when they did receive pay, they said, the checks were rejected by banks for insufficient funds. Later, a group of six former employees filed lawsuits against Haworth, some of her companies and the companies that supplied employee benefits such as insurance and retirement funds.

About the same time, the company filed for federal bankruptcy protection in Louisiana. In December an independent trustee, Larry Lefoldt of Jackson, was appointed by the court to oversee and manage the pension plans of Home Care Services and its subsidiaries, Haworth Home Health Agencies of Vicksburg, Winnfield and Minden.

Brian S. Moore owns the building in Ruston occupied by one of Haworth’s operations, and he and Connie Moore Brewer own the building in Natchitoches occupied by another Haworth company.

Since the bankruptcy filings, rent has been owed on the buildings, and Moore and Brewer received an uncontested judgment against Haworth. Moore received a judgment of $40,040, and he and Brewer received a judgment for $27,354.13 plus attorney’s fees of $712.50 in each case.

As a courtesy to Moore, the judgment was filed in Warren County Circuit Clerk’s office by Vicksburg attorney Blake Teller. Teller also represents the six employees who filed suit against Haworth.

Teller said depositions are to be taken in the case and settlement negotiations are under way.

Haworth could not be reached for comment.