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Stephen M. Cox · Robinson Bradshaw
One of our clients got a pretty big Christmas present thanks to Robinson Bradshaw attorney Stephen Cox.
A few days before Christmas, Stephen secured a nearly $15,000 judgment against a landlord for failing to maintain safe and habitable living conditions for Stephen's client and for debt collection violations.
His client's landlord had failed to fix broken locks on the windows of the one-story property, "making it 'imminently dangerous' under the Charlotte Housing Code and prohibiting landlord from collecting rent," according to the judgment. The court also found that the landlord charged illegally high late fees.
When the landlord claimed he didn't know about the broken windows, Stephen pushed back. He used a case called Thompson v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., to successfully argue that the landlord had "constructive knowledge" of the issue since the locks had been broken since the start of his client's tenancy. State law says landlords have a duty to ensure a property is in a fit and habitable condition before renting it out.
"This case started when the landlord tried to evict my client after my client called in city code enforcement to investigate the property," Stephen said. "The landlord tried to evict my client and claim overdue rent, and he ended up owing almost $15,000 — not the outcome he expected."
Way to go, Stephen!
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