The owner of New Beginnings Drug Treatment Center agreed Thursday to vacate his inpatient facility in Cross Lanes.
William Mucklow owed the building owners, Jonathan and Blessing Eya, at least $44,000 in rent, according to a lawsuit filed in Kanawha County Circuit Court.
After three court hearings, Mucklow promised not to collect on a $60,000 loan he made to the Eyas, relieving him of the debt for unpaid rent.
In previous testimony, Muck- low said he sacrificed count- less hours with no pay to help the couple.
He said he helped the Eyas relocate their own business and he managed a contractor who renovated the Eyas' new building.
Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey twice stopped Mucklow in the middle of his testimony, questioning the purpose of his answers.
"This is a whole lot of self-serving testimony that I don't really need to hear - about all this volunteer work," she said.
Mucklow's attorney, Trent Redman, said New Beginnings has no plans to open a new inpatient center.
Its outpatient center is located in the rear of Mucklow's other business, U.S. Tax and Financial Group in South Charleston. The outpatient center will remain open, Redman said.
"We came to the agreement because it's best for both people, both entities," he said. "It's just an opportunity for everybody to cut strings and get on with their lives."
The Eyas filed the lawsuit on Aug. 10 to evict Mucklow from the property. They hoped to get back their building and cut all ties with the tenant.
Attorney Richard Lindroth represented the Eyas with help from attorney John Dorsey.
Mucklow and his business will vacate the building, located at 5257 Big Tyler Road, by Sept. 22. It currently houses one patient, who will leave a day earlier.
"I would say I'm feeling a little better, even though I will just have to cut our losses," Blessing Eya said.
The facility had stopped accepting patients after Mucklow fired more than 20 employees amid financial problems in May.
Still, Jonathan Eya said he found cars in the parking lot on July 29. He soon realized the cars belonged to a security company.
Jim Edens, of Event Security Professionals, testified during a hearing on Wednesday. He said Mucklow spent $1,900 to protect the building from former employees.
"Some of the employees that were disgruntled were going to vandalize or possibly show up to picket," Edens said, explaining Mucklow's concerns.
Thirteen past employees complained to the West Virginia Division of Labor after Mucklow failed to pay them. The state agency closed its investigation in August, after Mucklow paid the $24,000 he owed to complainants.
In his testimony, Edens said Jonathan Eya was "visibly upset" and "borderline hostile." The defense attorney then asked whether Jonathan Eya made any threats.
"If there were threats, I don't remember," Edens said. "He never threatened us, other than 'We're going to call the cops and throw your asses out of here.' "
Jessica Halstead, the company's director of inpatient and outpatient services, also accused Jonathan Eya of being hostile.
She traveled to the Cross Lanes facility the day Jonathan Eya tried to remove security personnel. She described him as "irate."
The company filed for a restraining order against the Eyas, citing the need to protect its employees from the couple.
In their ensuing lawsuit, the Eyas' accused Mucklow of filing the safety order to delay his court hearings.
"Since the 31st of July, I have never been to my facility - my building," Jonathan Eya said.
In his own testimony, Mucklow said he approached the Eyas to help them with financial problems and get his business started.
Mucklow worked as the Eyas' accountant for about six years. He agreed Thursday to return the Eyas' tax paperwork, which he said was stored at the South Charleston office.
The Eyas' own business, Dream Home Assisted Living, was originally located at the Cross Lanes building where New Beginnings is now located.
They said Mucklow wanted to use half their licensed beds as a treatment center.
The couple agreed, but the Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification denied their plan.
Instead, the Eyas moved their business to a house in the nearby Quail Hollow community. They spent Mucklow's $60,000 loan on renovations, modifying the house to make way for the assisted-living facility.
The Quail Hollow Homeowners Association filed an ongoing lawsuit to evict the couple. The house is not to be used for business, according to the complaint.
While the Eyas' business troubles are ongoing, the largest threat to their future ended at Thursday's hearing.
Jonathan Eya, speaking during his testimony, said he might lose everything he's worked for since 1999, the year he moved to West Virginia.
In her own testimony, Blessing Eya fought back tears as she broke from the line of yes-or-no questioning on Wednesday.
"William [Mucklow] knows that he will put me and my three kids on the street," she said during the hearing.
After Thursday's decision, Blessing Eya said she hopes to put her fear and uncertainty in the past.
"The big lesson is not to take people on their face value anymore," she said. "Because that is what we did; we trusted Mr. Mucklow."
Reach Giuseppe Sabella at giuseppe.sabella@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or follow @Gsabella on Twitter.