CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A federal judge has denied a group of townhome owners’ request to return to their downtown Charleston properties, finding that the city acted appropriately when it ordered them to evacuate after structural issues were found in the neighboring Dockside tower.

Nearly two dozen residents sued the City of Charleston on June 3 to challenge an evacuation order in late February in which they were told to vacate their Concord Street townhomes by 5 p.m. the following day.

The order came after an engineering firm hired to inspect the load capacity of the tower floors deemed the building unsafe for further occupancy and recommended in a February 25 letter that residents be evacuated.

The plaintiffs' attorney argued in an August 11 hearing that the tenants were not given s

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