A judge said L.A.’s emergency tenant protections promoted the “common good” and do not require that property owners be compensated for their losses
A judge has tossed out a federal lawsuit filed by a developer who said his real estate companies should have been compensated for losses they incurred as a result of emergency tenant protections approved in Los Angeles following the outbreak of COVID-19
The eviction ordinance, which was approved in 2020 and remains in effect, covers only a limited period of time and does not constitute a permanent taking of property, which would have required the city to compensate landlords.
“Governments have a duty to protect vulnerable residents in the midst of a global catastrophe,” said Ryan Kendall, staff attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. “The Constitution does not leave tenants helpless in the face of an ongoing pandemic.”