Tenants in Houston’s Cabo San Lucas Complex Win Battle Against Eviction
After a month-long legal battle, tenants in Houston’s Cabo San Lucas apartment complex have emerged victorious in their fight against eviction. Over 100 families were originally facing the threat of being kicked out of their homes on August 9th, but thanks to the efforts of Lone Star Legal Aid, their eviction has been prevented, at least for now.
Although this recent victory provides temporary relief, the tenants understand that the battle is far from over. Thirteen households that were on the verge of eviction can now remain in their units, which have garnered attention due to complaints of deteriorating conditions. Well, the case has been dismissed. From our understanding of it, it seems that Cabo purged themselves on the stand, stated Paul Deosaran, one of the tenants facing eviction for alleged nonpayment of rent.
Dana Karni, Litigation Director at Lone Star Legal Aid, representing the residents, explained that some tenants attempted to pay their rent, but the new landlord refused to accept it and issued them a 3-day notice to vacate. Karni argues that, based on the law, the tenants should have been given a 30-day notice since the property received federal subsidies. She believes that the landlord aims to carry out capital improvements to the property, which would be easier to accomplish without tenants in place.
After the judge ruled in our favor, Cabo San Lucas decided to go ahead and dismiss the rest of our case, Karni revealed. In a pleading filed on Friday, the complex claimed that 30-day notices to vacate were indeed given to the tenants, but later admitted that it was a mistake.
Karni emphasized the importance of having the right to counsel, stating, This is exactly the benefit of having a right to counsel. We like to see when tenants have an attorney. The benefit of one tenant having an attorney actually has a snowball effect.
While the tenants can temporarily celebrate their victory and continue residing in their homes, they anticipate that the battle is not yet over. Deosaran expressed their concerns, saying, We’ll probably end up in court again because the landlord is not going to stop on this. So what the residents are requesting is any assistance in being able to relocate would be a definite plus for us.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the attorney representing Cabo San Lucas were unsuccessful at the time of writing.
In conclusion, tenants at the Cabo San Lucas apartment complex in Houston have successfully fought against their eviction through legal means. Lone Star Legal Aid’s efforts resulted in the dismissal of the eviction cases against the remaining 13 households. However, the tenants anticipate further legal battles as they believe the landlord will continue their efforts to remove them from the property. While the residents celebrate their current victory, they are also seeking assistance in finding alternative housing solutions.
