Pro Bono

Pro bono victory for elderly client in wrongful eviction matter

Buckley recently won a pro bono case in DC Superior Court on behalf of an elderly client who was the victim of a wrongful eviction. The landlord was seeking a more lucrative lease with another tenant, and so she failed to pay certain utility bills, forcing our client to live without electricity and running water for months. Later, the landlord told our client that he had a month to vacate the premises – but then two days later he returned home to find the locks changed and his property in the street.  He was then homeless, forced to sleep in his truck during the winter months, and he lost valuable property including the tools upon which he relied to make his living. 

Our team filed suit and, after the landlord failed to comply with several deadlines, won a default judgment. In addition to recovering the value of the lost property and damages for the wrongful eviction, we also persuaded the court to order punitive damages in an amount several times greater than the actual damages. We then undertook to enforce the judgment against the landlord’s properties and recovered more than $36,000, which should make a substantial difference in the life of our client.

The case was referred to the firm by the Legal Counsel for the Elderly. Solomon Dailey, David Rivera and Adam Miller represented our client, with the support and assistance of Whitney Busch, Elizabeth Preuss, and Nicole Reeber.