Portland Defender Blog

Our demands for police reform

Today, managing attorney Troy Pickard wrote to the mayor and city council of Portland to demand long-overdue reform to the Portland Police Bureau:

Multnomah County evictions on pause (Coronavirus)

Effective as of March 17, 2020, the emergency rule adopted by Multnomah County announced a pause on “all residential evictions in Multnomah County for tenants on the basis of nonpayment of rent due to wage loss resulting from COVID-19.” SUMMARY: ADVICE FOR TENANTS If you think will be unable to pay your rent on time…

Portland’s Tenant Relocation Assistance Laws

At the beginning of February 2017, the Portland City Council adopted new housing laws that give tenants additional protections from the stressed housing market. Tenants affected by these new laws may be entitled to thousands of dollars in compensation from their landlords. Here is what you need to know about the new laws: Relocation Assistance…

Attorney Troy Pickard interviewed by KGW about “squatters”

Today, KGW aired an interview with Portland Defender’s managing attorney about the issue of “squatters” and whether squatters in Oregon have rights. The bottom line is that squatters in Oregon do not have any special rights, although the reality of Oregon’s court processes mean that, perversely, it may actually take longer for a homeowner to…

Eviction Expungements

Portland Defender has been hard at work representing hundreds of clients in landlord-tenant matters. But we have ALSO been hard at work on a new law that will allow certain tenants to erase prior eviction cases! The Oregon Senate has just passed S.B. 873 and the same bill will hopefully soon be passed by the…

What is a deposition?

If you sue someone, or if someone else sues you, there is a good chance that you might be required to sit down in an office, swear an oath to tell the truth, and answer questions from the other side’s lawyer. That process is called a deposition. There is no judge or jury at a…

Tenant Evictions in Oregon

Landlords sometimes try to kick tenants out of the homes they’re renting. If the tenant doesn’t move out voluntarily, the landlord must take the tenant to court. We call that court process “eviction.” Some people refer to it as F.E.D., but it’s easier to just call it eviction. If you are a tenant (as opposed…

City of Milwaukie adds new renter protection

Milwaukie, Oregon has become the second Oregon city to enact new, important tenant protections. Milwaukie’s new protections, located at Chapter 5.60 of the Milwaukie Municipal Code, require landlords in Milwaukie require no-cause termination notices to give tenants at least 90 days advance notice. The new protections largely mirror those adopted by the City of Portland…

City of Portland Adds New Protections for Renters

The City of Portland has just enacted new protections for tenants living within the city limits. Here is what Portland tenants need to know: Beginning in November, if a landlord wants to terminate a month-to-month tenancy without stated cause, that landlord must give the tenant written notice of the termination at least 90 days before…

Troy Pickard Interviewed on KATU News

Last night, Portland Defender attorney Troy Pickard was interviewed once again as an expert in Landlord-Tenant law. The story featured local residents of an apartment complex in Tigard who will have their air conditioning units removed this week, just before a major heat wave will hit the Portland area. Troy spoke with reporter Ian Parker…

Not guilty – Multnomah County domestic violence trial

This afternoon in Portland, a Multnomah County jury unanimously agreed that managing attorney Troy Pickard’s client was not guilty of domestic violence. Specifically, the six jurors agreed that the defendant had not caused any offensive physical contact with the intent to harass or annoy the alleged “victim.” Although the prosecutor argued that the defendant had…

Not Guilty – Clackamas County Theft Trial

Today, in Clackamas County Circuit Court, a jury unanimously found managing attorney Troy Pickard’s client not guilty of both theft in the second degree and theft in the third degree. Had he been convicted, this defendant could have received a sentence of several years probation, several days in jail, thousands of dollars in fines and…

Trial victory – eviction and retaliation case

Today, in Multnomah County Circuit Court, Portland Defender’s managing attorney Troy Pickard prevented an eviction won several thousand dollars for his client, a Portland-area tenant, in an eviction trial. The rental home in question had serious problems with its electrical and heating systems. The landlord refused to fix these problems and refused to negotiate about…

Troy Pickard interviewed by KATU news

Last night, local news station KATU covered a story of another Portland family struggling with damage to their home and a laggard landlord. Troy Pickard was interviewed by KATU reporter Chelsea Kopta as an expert in Landord-Tenant law. Troy spoke with Chelsea about how many landlords feel that it is ok to allow their tenants…

Troy Pickard appears on local KOIN 6 news

Once again, attorney Troy Pickard was featured on the local news. See below for the full story and interview: Tenants say management ignored their concerns   PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN 6) — Many low income and disabled people living in a SE Portland apartment complex said on Monday that the management company has forced them to live…

All about landlord-tenant security deposits and fees

Many tenants call Portland Defender every week with questions about security deposits and fees charged by landlords. We’ve just put together an informative article that can help answer some of those questions: click here to learn more.

Attorney Troy Pickard to present at Concorida University

On April 7, 2014 Troy will present to Concordia University students how to be a savvy renter in Oregon. Troy will explain leases, deposits, habitability issues, and many more topics related to renters’ rights. This presentation is free and will will take place at 8:00pm in GRW 314. For more information please visit the Concordia…

Attorney Troy Pickard talks about landlord-tenant law on KGW news

Over the weekend, attorney Troy Pickard was interviewed on Portland’s KGW news channel 8 on a story about landlord-tenant law.   View the interview here.

Retaliation – Victory in the Oregon Supreme Court

At the end of May 2013, the Oregon Supreme Court handed all Oregon tenants a major victory when their ruling in a case made it clear that tenants in Oregon have the ability to win retaliation cases against their landlords. In its opinion, the court ruled that for a tenant to win a retaliation claim…

Misdemeanor and Felony Assault in Oregon

Our office handles a lot of assault-related cases, both felony and misdemeanor. Here are a few answers to common assault questions: What are the differences between the different levels of assault? Assault crimes in Oregon are broken down into four degrees. Assault in the fourth degree, commonly known as assault 4, is the least-serious.