After dealing with the not-so-innocent hairdresser, Judge Joan Zeldon faced a sad and innocent mother.

The mother, Felita Smith, had a son who pled guilty to dealing drugs near their subsidized housing unit. The dealing wasn’t out of her home. It wasn’t even on the premises. But it was close enough. And Smith’s son technically lived under her roof—therefore, the crime was cause for eviction. Read More “Landlord Tenant Court: Drug-Dealing Sons Ruin Everything” »

Before 2 p.m., Judge Joan Zeldon breezed through the Landlord Tenant Court hall,  smiling and waving like a regular old Princess Diana of Judiciary Square. But the casual demeanor soon ended. It was time to put the robes back on.

Early in the afternoon’s proceedings, Lisa Dessel stepped up toward the bench. She represented claims by the DC Housing Authority.

Read More “Landlord Tenant Court: “You Weren’t Exactly an Innocent Hair Dresser”” »

Earlier in the day, Judge Joan Zeldon made one thing perrrrrrfectly clear to her courtroom: You need an interpreter, you’ll get an interpreter.

But just because said interpreter arrives, doesn’t mean he or she will be able to make sense of things.

Case in point: Gulzar Hussain and his son Anwaar Hussain, both Pakistani-born, arrived at the courthouse bright and early to deal with a claim for nearly $40,000 in unpaid back rent to a Georgia Avenue property.

Now, at least five hours later, they’re at a deadlock with Hussain’s tenant.

Read More “Landlord Tenant Court: Even the Urdu Interpreter Can’t Break the Deadlock” »

One tenant who cycled through D.C. Superior Court this morning had an interesting excuse for failing to pay her rent: She didn’t understand the lease agreement.

The tenant landed in court back in March for failing to pay $7,000 in back rent to her landlord. When she finally forked over the payment, she also signed a new agreement stating that she wouldn’t be late on rent again.

She was late in June, landlord Barrington Bowen claims—and now she owes him an additional $1,150 in rent, plus fees. The landlord wasn’t happy to be involved in a second run-around. “I’m tired of chasing after this woman,” he told the court. “I’ve had it, and I want my property back.”

Read More “Landlord Tenant Court: The No-Interpreter Defense Won’t Fly” »

Landlord Carlton Joseph came to court this morning in the hopes of redeeming some back rent from a tenant who wouldn’t pay up. He ended up renting out another piece of property: his cell phone.

Joseph has been trying to secure the rent from Karina Okoro, who occupies a one-bedroom unit in Joseph’s 23-unit Petworth apartment building, since November of last year. At one point, marshals arrived at the complex ready to evict Okoro, who asked for an hour to get Joseph his money. When he came to collect, she was gone.

Read More “Landlord Tenant Court: Judge Asks Landlord To Borrow Cell Phone” »