At client’s bedside, Legal Aid delivers housing justice
Diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and bedridden, our client received an eviction notice listing a litany of unsubstantiated lease violations. Enter Legal Aid Housing Attorney Dustin House.
At her bedside, Dustin helped her navigate questioning. Although she had difficulty speaking and was in extreme pain, she summoned the energy to push back on the landlord’s assertion that she was the source of noise complaints, violated smoking policies and that she had stolen packages.
In cross examination and his closing statement, Dustin made the case that all complaints were hearsay and that no one testifying for the landlord had first-hand knowledge of the allegations.
He also pointed out that the video evidence presented was problematic in that it showed her in the package room but nothing more.
Result: The referee dismissed the case, expunged the eviction and ordered our client remain in possession of the property.
This case shows that eviction filings do not present a foregone conclusion. Landlords seeking to throw tenants out on the street must understand the difference made when the courts can consider skilled, passionate arguments made by advocates of Legal Aid.
– Dustin House