The Paletz Law Blog

$200,000 Discrimination Claim Dismissed: The Applicant’s Fatal Flaw

Breanna Kingsley obtained dismissal of a prospective tenant’s frivolous $200,000 discrimination claim with the MI Dept of Civil Rights (MDCR). The applicant failed to complete the move-in process and could not demonstrate any damages when the unit was rented to another tenant.

Blame it on the Court Clerk Defense Fails: Tenant’s Abuse of Rental Assistance Timeline Exposed

In a non-payment of rent action, a tenant attempted to abuse the rental assistance timeline protections and even blamed the court clerk for his failure to comply. Robin Mocabee was able to get him to admit that he failed to follow the requirements, and a judgment was awarded in the client’s favor.

Suing a Mobile Home: An Unorthodox Strategy That Cleared the Title

Timothy Mulligan took the unorthodox step of filing a lawsuit against a mobile home itself in Circuit Court. The mobile home had been abandoned so long ago that the title records were woefully outdated. A judgment was successfully obtained, allowing our MH client to ultimately obtain title to the home.

Harassing Tenant Evicted Immediately Even With Hands Tied by Ann Arbor City Ordinance

An Ann Arbor, MI, city ordinance prevented landlords/clients from conducting a background check on a prospective tenant. After move-in, the tenant began harassing a young college student in a nearby unit. Despite his attorney’s attempt to downplay the incidents, Danielle Paglia‘s relentless pursuit of the case led to the court ordering that the tenant leave the property immediately.

Mold Allegations Busted: Tenant Forced to Pay All Back Rent

Casey Mattson successfully defended false allegations of mold made by a tenant who was withholding rent. She obtained judgment in the client’s favor with no waiver of any balance as the judge ruled the issues were due to the tenant’s lack of cleanliness.

Solving the 20-Year Mystery of the Abandoned Mobile Home Title

A mobile home had been abandoned in the client’s community for 20 years. Skip tracing revealed the last known owner was deceased. Despite Sydney Fontanilla’s diligent efforts, the next of kin were unresponsive, which necessitated a court action to be filed to allow the title of the home to transfer to the client.

Double the Litigation, Double the Win: Tenants Voluntarily Vacate

During a highly contentious non-payment of rent case, the tenants appealed an escrow order and then filed a separate civil action in circuit court based on alleged habitability defects.  Ian Morton successfully persuaded tenants to voluntarily vacate, and their appeal and circuit court case were dismissed.

Technicality Threat in “Activist Court” Neutralized: Full Recovery Achieved

In a non-payment of rent case, a legal aid attorney tried to seize on a technicality to support his tenant-client in a known activist court. Raymond Gryebet, in turn, artfully negotiated a legal resolution on behalf of our landlord-client that allowed full recovery and avoided setting a potential negative precedent for future cases in that jurisdiction.

The Critical Document That Cleared Title on an Abandoned Mobile Home

In a case involving an abandoned mobile home title that had remained vacant for a considerable period, the title holder was deceased, with no next of kin. Sarah Reed obtained the necessary confirmation from an assisted living administrator, who signed an affidavit. Because of this documentation, a court order was awarded, allowing the successful transfer of the title to our manufactured housing community client.

Bankruptcy Loophole Closed: Repossession Granted Without A Hearing In The Trial Court

A claim and delivery case was prompted by borrowers who were a year in arrears on their mobile home payments and had filed for bankruptcy as a delay tactic. Sandra Kouzy’s attempt to work out a payment agreement with the borrowers was rebuffed. After obtaining dismissal of the bankruptcy claim, she subsequently proved that the borrowers’ conduct was so blatantly egregious that no hearing was necessary in the trial court, leading to repossession of the chattel for the lender client.

Bogus Discrimination Claim Dismissed: Perseverance Pays Off

Former tenant baselessly alleged discrimination against our landlord client, even though it was she who had violated her tenancy by harassing other residents. The investigator was initially reluctant to thoroughly review the file (and instead took the tenant at her word). But due to John Mione‘s perseverance and unrelenting pursuit of the truth, the claim was outright dismissed.