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After Achieving a $1.775M Settlement for African-American Families in a Housing Lawsuit, The Law Offices of Michael C. Cohen is Preparing Another Multi-Unit Case

​The Law Offices of Michael C. Cohen is preparing to file a series of lawsuits on behalf of many tenants living in a large apartment complex in Oakland. Tenants in that complex, like many others across the Bay Area, have found their living conditions unacceptable amid the housing crisis. 

The multi-unit series of lawsuits are currently being prepared for litigation by attorneys Michael C. Cohen, Laura E. Seidl and Robert L. Lynch of The Law Offices of Michael C. Cohen. They will represent many tenants who live in the same complex. The tenants allege their landlord and building management have failed to maintain the property in a habitable condition and subjected the tenants to harassment. Tenants of the building complain of filth and human waste in the common areas, used syringes on the playground, inoperable elevators, and bedbug infestations.

These multi-unit lawsuits follow other successful housing lawsuits brought by The Law Offices of Michael C. Cohen against landlords. For example, a settlement of $1.775M was achieved by the Law Offices of Michael C. Cohen on behalf of thirteen African-American families living in an apartment building near Lake Merritt. In that case, the tenants alleged the building was purchased by a new investor and that shortly after the purchase, the roof was removed during the rainy season, causing the apartments to flood. The residents of the building were forced from their flooded homes and placed in a substandard hotel. The tenants alleged the new landlord wanted to raise rents dramatically and was delaying repairs in an effort to get the tenants to forfeit their rent-controlled leases. 
 
Shortly after attorneys Michael C. Cohen and Laura E. Seidl of the Law Offices of Michael C. Cohen became involved, repairs to the building were finished quickly, and the residents were permitted to move back into their homes. The $1.775M settlement compensated the families for the hardship they endured during their displacement. When asked about the settlement, Attorney Seidl said, “Our success demonstrates the value in tenants exercising their legal rights.”

With housing in the Bay Area so tight, many landlords take advantage of the housing crisis by failing to make repairs, or otherwise trying to force tenants to abandon their leases.  When that happens, tenants may sue their landlords for money damages. California law and many city ordinances protect tenants from retaliation by their landlords for filing a lawsuit.

Landlords are required by law to keep their properties habitable and not harass their tenants. This means mold, overgrown vegetation, trash, rodents, bedbugs and cockroaches should not be present.  Housing must have adequate heating, and windows and doors that lock. 
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The Law Offices of Michael C. Cohen represents tenants in many different living situations throughout the Bay Area. Whether tenants live in apartments, houses, duplexes, or other housing, the units they lease must be habitable. The Law Offices of Michael C. Cohen encourages all tenants who are suffering uninhabitable conditions, displacement or harassment to contact their office for a free consultation. They do not charge tenants unless they are successful in recovering money.