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Stryst

(714 posts)
Tue Apr 28, 2020, 04:34 PM Apr 2020

Need some advice regarding apartment situation

I can provide more details if it will help, but the shortest possible version;

My (now former) suite mates assaulted my wife directly because of her disability. We were willing to walk away and just leave, but the apartment management told us that our only way off the lease would be to either file a complaint of disabled adult abuse with Adult Protective Services, or to pay them $1,200. We filed the case, and got a case number.

We presented the case number to management, and told them that as soon as we were told we were free to leave, we would make arrangements. The manager told us to begin getting ourselves out, and we told him that it would take us until the end of the month to fully get out.

When I have to use my walker or cane, its about a ten minute walk from management to our apartment. By the time I got back, I heard the suite mates shouting in their room. Fifteen minutes or so later, one of them literally kicked the door off the bottom hinge while screaming that she had just gotten the email from management, and how dare we claim that we had been abused. But the manager emailed the abuser to let her know that there was a complaint of abuse as soon as he found out.

We had to call a friend to get us, which meant we had to leave all of our furniture and most of our belongings behind. We're now living in a campground three hours away from the former apartment.

As soon as we got here, we contacted housing authority, and were told that we needed to contact a lawyer and pursue damages against the apartment complex. At this point, I realized that for all of my education, I am powerfully ignorant about the law, or how these processes work. We contacted two personal injury lawyers (whom I though were the correct to contact) and both of them gave me the number of a different lawyer to contact. Both of those lawyers turned out to be criminal defense lawyers.

I don't know if the first two calls were just misunderstood, or... I just dont know.

Even if the suite mates haven't disposed of or destroyed out property (I suspect they have) we're living in a situation where we can't have it anyway. But if it hadn't been for out apartment complex revealing the complaint, we would have had a truck arranged and storage for our furniture. Now it's a six hour round trip away and we're camping.



TLDR; Wife abused by suite mates. Made complaint to Adult Protective Services, showed complaint to apartment complex to get off lease, apartment complex immediately contacted suite mates and let them know about complain. This resulted in physical retaliation and the lose of most of our property.

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Poeraria

(219 posts)
2. Get on the web page of your state bar association. They will likely have a lawyer referral service.
Tue Apr 28, 2020, 04:40 PM
Apr 2020

There may also be a low cost legal clinic that could help. Check local law schools (in your state) that might have a clinic.

Stryst

(714 posts)
6. Thank you!
Tue Apr 28, 2020, 05:00 PM
Apr 2020

Called state bar, they directed me to Dallas bar, where I was told to leave a message and that they would be back to me tomorrow.

pbmus

(12,422 posts)
3. Police are paid by your taxes to take care of this issue...
Tue Apr 28, 2020, 04:51 PM
Apr 2020

Lawyers are paid by you to understand what you can do to take care of your issue...

Go to police and report..

Shrike47

(6,913 posts)
4. If you have a Legal Aid clinic in your area, call them.
Tue Apr 28, 2020, 04:58 PM
Apr 2020

Legal Aid sees a lot of landlord-tenant cases. You should also follow up with the police over the assault.

elleng

(130,825 posts)
5. Not sure why housing authority gave you such advice,
Tue Apr 28, 2020, 04:58 PM
Apr 2020

but if 'damages' would be significant, might be worthy; if not significant, I'd drop it.

3Hotdogs

(12,360 posts)
7. + on cops.
Tue Apr 28, 2020, 05:04 PM
Apr 2020

Maybe also, a certified letter to suite mates that if property is lost, damaged or held captive, that will result in a small claims court action.

Are they employed (before C-19)?

TreasonousBastard

(43,049 posts)
8. I don't know about the law in your area (hell, I don't know much about the law in my area), but...
Tue Apr 28, 2020, 06:09 PM
Apr 2020

I do know you need a lawyer experienced in landlord/tenant law. Preferably on the side of the tenant. Legal Aid, the bar assn. or other offices can recommend someone.

I don't now if the "roommates" had any right to lock you out, but your lawyer should be able to help. It may be a little late to involve the police, but if there was an assault or abuse, that's reason enough for them to be involved. You may have some recourse against the landlord, but that's part of the lawyer's job.

Hope you get it straightened out soon.

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