A judge on Thursday forced the construction arm of the Baltimore real estate development company Chasen Cos. into bankruptcy.

In a one-page order, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Nancy V. Alquist granted a petition from Sandy Spring Bank, Southland Insulators of Maryland Inc. and Ferguson Enterprises Inc. to place Chasen Construction LLC into involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Alquist also outlined next steps in the case.

Neither Chasen Construction nor its namesake founder, Brandon Chasen, responded to the legal action. An attorney listed for the company in legal filings was not immediately available to comment.

Chasen Cos. owns about 2,000 housing units across Maryland, Virginia and Florida, Chasen and co-founder Paul Davis said in a previous interview, with the vast majority in Baltimore.

Responding to a tough real estate economy with rising mortgage interest rates and soaring operating costs, Chasen and Davis toned down plans to scale nationally in what they once described as a $100 million expansion effort.

Then, beginning last summer, the company faced an onslaught of legal complaints, many of them from vendors that alleged they were stiffed.

Several marquee Chasen Cos. projects — including the redevelopment of the historic Meyer Seed Co. warehouse on the border of Fells Point and Harbor East — have stalled or hit the market.

Initially, Chasen and Davis brushed off the legal woes, saying the issues weren’t as serious as they seemed. But as the cases mounted in size and volume last fall, the company went quiet.

During a hearing last month, Alquist said she would exercise caution over the proceedings since Chasen Construction had not responded to the petition or appeared in court.

One day later, she appointed a trustee to oversee the case.