Court Takeaway: Court Rejects Laundry List Of Claims Due To Lack Of Evidence

Court Takeaway: Court Rejects Laundry List Of Claims Due To Lack Of Evidence

Defeat a frequent complainer's lawsuit with fair practices

If you have a tenant who seems to always find something to complain about, don't panic. As long as you promptly respond to each of her criticisms, and remember to treat each tenant exactly the same way, your tenant's grievances won't stand a chance in court.

Background: Plaintiff Teresa Echemendia (Plaintiff), a Section 8 housing benefit recipient, resided in Woodbridge Apartments — managed by Glick Management Corporation (Glick) — in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In her 15-year stay at Woodbridge, Plaintiff collected a slew of both federal and state law claims against Glick and a number of its property managers (Defendants). When she filed suit, pro se Plaintiff — representing herself with no lawyer — alleged that Defendants discriminated against her because of her Hispanic origin and her mental, psychiatric and emotional disabilities.

HUD Ups Monitoring — Defendants Crack Down On Compliance

HUD requires that Section 8 participants comply with HUD regulations, which includes examining each Section 8 family's income on a yearly basis and conducting a yearly inspection of Section 8 dwelling units. In 2000, HUD increased its Section 8 compliance monitoring with newly appointed contract managers. As a r[...]