A lawsuit has been filed to look into the way Rockland County prosecutes building violations.

A fire tore through the Country Village Towers Apartment Complex in Spring Valley in March. An investigation found 168 violations, including black mold, no fire extinguishers and faulty smoke alarms.

Officials say the county usually prosecutes such violations in an administrative court hearing. The attorneys for the landlord are suing in State Supreme court, questioning the legality of that process.

An attorney for Rockland County says that at the end of the day the safety of Rockland residents is what's most important.

"The fire damage still exists as of last week," says Rockland County attorney Thomas Humbach. "On the sixth and seventh floors in the hallway, people have to traverse fire damaged hallways to get to the elevator and things like that and that was an important part of our argument."

News 12 reached out to the attorneys for the landlord but has not heard back.