Lancaster County on Tuesday filed a lawsuit seeking more than $38,000 in unpaid room taxes from the owners of the former Holiday Inn East in East Lampeter Township.

County treasurer Craig Ebersole said the lawsuit was filed because numerous other attempts to collect the unpaid taxes have been ignored by the owners.

"We would welcome payment in full," Ebersole said, "but subject to that, we're filing liens. It is a tax that they have collected from their patrons and they have an obligation not to keep it, but to turn it over."

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of complaints against the owners of the hotel, Kronos Hotels of Atlanta, Georgia.

Last week, state inspectors found perishable food stored in a guest room, apparently because a refrigerator in the restaurant had stopped working. Inspectors said the food was stored at a temperature of about 65 degrees - not nearly cold enough to be safe.

The Holiday Inn hotel chain has since pulled its franchise agreement with Greenfield Road location, although Holiday Inn signs remain on the building.

Employees have complained to abc27 News that their paychecks are bouncing. The hotel's former general manager, Tom Showalter, says he's heard the same from his former staffers.

"These people are stuck," he said. "They can't stand up for themselves because they'll lose their jobs."

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is also investigating the hotel for allegations it sold liquor without a license. And the Department of Revenue says the hotel is behind on state taxes.

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