MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Residents at the Extend-a-suites motel on the I-65 Service Road were given a 24-hour notice Tuesday evening that they had to move out of the motel because a judge ordered the business to shut down.

Diane Day and her husband Carroll Silvers have lived at the Extend-a-suites on the I-65 Service Road for about two years and received the notice Tuesday that they had to move out Wednesday by 5:30 p.m.

The couple said they were blindsided by the order and had no idea why they and other tenants were being evicted.

“We were all panicked,” Day said. “We didn’t know what to do with one day.”

“No, we didn’t know anything,” Silvers said.

Given the short notice, some residents already left the motel.

We made efforts to contact the owners of the motel since their phone numbers were listed on a copy of the lawsuit that WKRG News 5 obtained, but we did not receive a response.

Back in August 2022, the state filed a lawsuit against the business, and the city would later join because Extend-a-suites failed to pay at least $450,000 in taxes to both municipalities.

Because of the business’ failure to pay taxes, Mobile County Circuit Court Judge Wesley Pipes put a padlock order on the business on Oct. 6, which forced the business to shut down completely and prompted eviction notices for residents.

Attorney William Casey represents one of the tenants who resides at the motel and was facing eviction.

His client, Susan Hubbart, filed for bankruptcy, which stopped the padlock order from taking effect and ultimately paused the eviction for all tenants for at least 30 days as a federal court handles the bankruptcy claim—releasing Judge Pipes’ jurisdiction over the case.

In a hearing Wednesday afternoon, Judge Pipes confirmed he no longer had jurisdiction over the case.

“We have about 40 different people; some of them it will probably be plenty of time, [and] some of them it may not be enough,” Casey explained outside the courtroom.

Judge Pipes’ order will remain in effect unless a bankruptcy judge lifts it.

Even though the residents are excited to hear that they have more time to relocate, they remain uncertain about what’s to come after the 30-day period.

“What’s going to happen next?” Silvers asked. “What’s going to happen next after the two weeks or the middle of November or whenever?”