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 lowering rent. Even worse, the landlord sent the tenant a termination notice in retaliation for complaining about the problems – something that is illegal under Oregon law.
The tenant decided to stop paying the landlord any rent at all. As expected, the landlord filed an eviction case in the hopes of forcing the tenant out. However, attorney Troy Pickard convinced the trial judge that this landlord’s actions were illegal and that the landlord actually owed the tenant several thousand dollars.
The judge agreed, threw out the landlord’s eviction case, ordered the landlord to pay several thousand dollars to the tenant, and ruled that the landlord may also be forced to pay for the tenant’s legal expenses. The tenant was thrilled to have kept an eviction off their record, and the money from the landlord’s pocket will be well-deserved compensation.