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A class action lawsuit claimed that Nodel Parks LLC and its affiliates charged improper violation fees, tacked on unlawful utility administrative costs, and enforced community rules that violated the New Mexico Mobile Home Park Act. The defendants deny any wrongdoing but agreed to settle.
New Mexico mobile home residents who were subjected to hidden fees and questionable billing practices may soon see money back in their pockets. A $567,600 class action settlement has been reached with Nodel Parks LLC and its related companies. The lawsuit claims the manufactured housing operator charged improper violation fees, tacked on unlawful utility administrative costs, and enforced community rules that violated state law.
If you lived in one of six specific mobile home communities across New Mexico between February 7, 2016, and September 5, 2025, you may be eligible for an automatic cash payout. Legal representatives estimate that the 2,013 affected individuals will receive approximately $199.24 each from the net settlement fund. Best of all, everyday people do not need to navigate complex paperwork to get paid, as the settlement administrator will automatically issue checks to qualified residents.
The legal battle centers on allegations that Nodel Parks LLC took financial advantage of manufactured housing residents through non-compliant property management tactics. According to the class action lawsuit, the park owners regularly charged tenants improper violation fees and tacked unauthorized administrative charges onto monthly utility bills. Plaintiffs allege that these actions directly violated the New Mexico Mobile Home Park Act, a state law designed to shield residents from arbitrary rule enforcement and unfair pricing.
Beyond the financial overcharges, the lawsuit claims Nodel Parks used nontransparent utility billing practices that kept residents in the dark about how their water, gas, or electric charges were calculated. Tenants also alleged that the companies enforced community regulations in an arbitrary, unlawful manner. While Nodel Parks and its affiliated entities have denied any wrongdoing, they opted to settle the litigation to avoid the mounting costs and prolonged uncertainty of a courtroom trial.
Not every mobile home resident in New Mexico is included in this legal action. The settlement specifically covers current and former residents of six distinct manufactured housing communities managed by the defendants. To see if you are eligible to receive a portion of the settlement fund, you must have lived in one of the following properties at any point between February 7, 2016, and September 5, 2025:
Aztec Village
Village Park
Longview
Tierra West Estates
South Pointe Village
Van Cleave Place
If you rented a space or owned a mobile home in any of these six locations during the nearly decade-long class period, you are automatically considered a class member. The lawsuit seeks to hold companies accountable for every single person impacted, meaning all 2,013 identified residents are included in the distribution pool.
The legal foundation of this lawsuit rests heavily on the New Mexico Mobile Home Park Act, alongside state consumer protection laws. Mobile home residents face unique housing vulnerabilities. While they often own their physical homes, they must rent the land beneath them. This creates a power imbalance that corporate landlords can exploit. To protect everyday people, New Mexico law strictly regulates how park owners can pass utility costs down to tenants and mandates clear transparency in billing.
Under these state statutes, landlords are prohibited from inventing arbitrary penalty fees or inflating utility bills with administrative surcharges that do not reflect actual usage. Furthermore, any changes to community rules or strict enforcement actions must follow formal notice procedures. The plaintiffs argue that Nodel Parks bypassed these legal guardrails, making the $567,600 settlement fund a necessary step toward justice and financial restitution for the affected communities.
The total financial commitment from Nodel Parks LLC stands at $567,600. However, before money is distributed to the community members, several court-approved expenses must be deducted from the gross fund. According to legal documents, these deductions include $100,000.00 in attorneys’ fees, $9,016.68 for legal expenses, $19,883.30 for independent settlement administration costs, and $7,625.00 allocated for taxes. Additionally, the three class representatives who stepped forward to lead the lawsuit will receive $10,000 each in service awards.
The remaining balance forms the net settlement fund, which will be divided among the 2,013 eligible class members. Attorneys estimate that the baseline cash payment for each affected individual will be roughly $199.24. The final exact amount could fluctuate slightly depending on data verification, but every qualified resident is guaranteed an equal share of the remaining cash.
In many consumer class actions, individuals must fill out long, confusing forms online to claim their piece of a settlement. Fortunately, this case removes those barriers. Class members do not need to file a claim form to receive a settlement payment. Because the property management records clearly identify who lived in the six communities during the specified timeframe, the process is entirely automatic.
The settlement administrator will distribute payouts via paper check, mailed directly to the last known address on file. If you have moved away from Aztec Village, Village Park, Longview, Tierra West Estates, South Pointe Village, or Van Cleave Place since September 2025, it is vital that you update your mailing address. You can do this easily online by using the unique Notice ID and PIN provided on the physical settlement notice mailed to you.
While you do not need to submit a claim, there are critical dates you must keep in mind if you wish to change your status in this lawsuit. If you do not want to participate in the settlement—perhaps because you wish to retain your right to sue Nodel Parks individually over these fee violations—you must formally request to be excluded. The strict deadline to submit an exclusion request is August 3, 2026.
For those who wish to remain in the settlement class but object to the terms, the allocation of funds, or the requested attorneys’ fees, formal objections must also be submitted ahead of the final court date. The New Mexico court has scheduled the final fairness hearing for September 2, 2026. At this hearing, the judge will review the agreement to ensure it is fair, reasonable, and adequate before granting final approval.
The settlement administrator cannot distribute the cash payments until the court officially signs off on the agreement at the conclusion of the final fairness hearing on September 2, 2026. If the judge approves the deal and no subsequent legal appeals are filed by opposing parties, the administration process will begin immediately.
Once final approval is set in stone, the settlement administrator will print and mail the paper checks directly to the addresses provided by current and former residents. If your address is current, you simply need to wait for your check to arrive in the mail. If your address has changed, updating it promptly ensures your check will find you without delay.
Large property management firms and corporate landlords count on the assumption that everyday people will not fight back against small, incremental fee increases. However, when those illegal fees are multiplied across thousands of residents over many years, they add up to massive corporate profits. This settlement proves that when consumers unite, they can successfully hold companies accountable for breaking state housing laws.
You don’t stand alone when facing unfair corporate billing practices. If you received a class notice in the mail, read it carefully, locate your Notice ID and PIN, and make sure the administrator has your correct mailing address. If you believe your consumer rights are being violated by a landlord or utility provider elsewhere, remember that you have options. At Class Action U, we provide valuable educational resources for potential plaintiffs. Learn more about how to join a class action lawsuit or the class action lawsuit process.
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