Marley Station Mall’s ownership has a $400,000 headache that could turn into a multimillion-dollar migraine.

An Anne Arundel County judge has ordered the mall’s owner, a New York investor known for profiting off dying retail centers, to pay its outstanding debt or the Glen Burnie mall would be put on the auction block, according to notices posted at the mall this week by the county sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office will seize the mall “in the near future” if the company doesn’t pay its debt, the notices said. If that happens, it would be sold at auction within 90 days.

Mall management, owner Namdar Realty Group and attorneys for the limited liability corporations used as holding companies for the facility did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, Cpl. Angie Hines, said the mall’s ownership owes approximately $400,000 but didn’t know details.

“It’s a legit notice,” Hines said. “It went up a few days ago.”

According to court records, the mall owner’s debt stems from a breach-of-lease lawsuit brought by one of the tenants, Gold’s Gym. An LLC that owns the Gold’s at the mall and other gyms sued mall ownership in 2021, arguing the companies had violated their lease agreement.

At issue was an expansion of the gym and who was responsible for paying for it.

The Anne Arundel County Circuit Court twice ruled in favor of the gym company, PMD Gyms LLC, most recently in June, with Circuit Judge Cathleen M. Vitale ordering the mall’s owners to pay $434,000.

Mall ownership said it has obtained a letter of credit for the judgment plus one year of interest at 10%, per Vitale’s order, court documents show.

But it is asking for a judge to freeze the judgment while it takes the matter to the Appellate Court of Maryland. The intermediate appeals court tossed a previous attempt by those companies, but a new one is pending, according to court records.

Their attorneys also requested that the circuit court stop the sheriff’s office from seizing the property.

A lawyer for the gym company, Donald A. Rea, objected to that. He did not return messages seeking comment Friday.

The development represents another twist in the sad saga of a once bustling mall that is now known for vacant storefronts, empty parking lots and a lonely Santa Claus.

Marley Station Mall has changed hands several times in the last decade.

State property records show Namdar bought the mall in June 2022 for $17 million. The previous owner purchased it for $10.5 million at foreclosure auction a year earlier. That was less than half of what it sold for in 2016.

County officials have been optimistic for the 72-acre mall property abutting the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail, even as it has changed hands and fallen into neglect.

County Councilwoman Allison Pickard, a Democrat who represents Glen Burnie, is among them.

“Throughout my time as a County Council Member, I’ve championed redevelopment policies with Marley Station Mall in mind, as it exemplifies the kind of distressed but well-located property our code reforms are meant to support,” Pickard said in a text message. “Although financial issues persist, I remain hopeful that we can ultimately see positive change here. I believe there is also an opportunity for our County government to be more proactive with this property.”

Pickard said she will continue to monitor the situation.

Amy Gowan, president and CEO of the Anne Arundel County Economic Development Corp., said the quasi-governmental organization will “support any future reuse of this property in any way we can.”

“We’ve seen a lot of interest over the years in redevelopment of the mall site,” Gowan said. “And we’re keeping an eye on the situation to see if there are any opportunities that transpire.”

Banner reporter Cody Boteler contributed to this article.