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30TH A
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. BENTO HARBOR - u the city
lDspecuon department lpful to th
o tenanta at 821 Pawnn hen they
d er er tin up in a bathtub?
Apparently not.
ea·' to 821 P onne
by dty lnapectors, there
wrt1� report. Abo, tbete atill
WitJ�� by The
22, Olnontha
t of a flood
Reed
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ca " said Ballard (a Ie ge d
po company) had been out an�
pumped out the buement. It was just
a complaint."
Reed . d there . no report on
tb inspection because "there u noth-
to see." He . d the ment
locked and the upstairs tenant w gone
nhecame.
Alexander . d that Ballard told
h the pipes ere "older than the house"
and ould e more trouble. She
. d that the toilet is now "bubbling"
again u it did before and e expect the
toilet will begin 0 rflowing again.
I
CLAIM EVICTIO
DAMAGES FO
IS RETA'L IA TIO ; A MO EY
a IMED LEGAL LEASES
By Terry y
BENTON HARBOR - Action Ren­
tals got fight hen they tried to evict
the t 0 tenants at 821 P vonne.
Debr Alexander who rent the
downstairs apartment, and Frank and
Bertilla Cald ell who renr the up airs
apartment, kne "it asn't right" and
decided to fight.
According to the eviction notices,
the Cald ell' ere being eel to move
for 38 arrearage in rent. They pay $320
per month. '
I er being ed to
mo e for a dog. The dog has been gon
since April 23, th d te pposed
to be out of the apartment.
Sh , too, pays $320 a month.
Both the Cald ells and . Alexan-
der ent to Legal Services, got a I wyer
and counter eel Action Rentals.
"I feel he tried to evict beca
I call d the city and the h alth depart­
ment for the Ie er proble ted
s. Alexander in an intern
Both th Cald ells d . Alex·
ander are counter ing Action Ren­
tal owner Kathy Lane who brought
the eviction proceedmg-
Th la suit filed by their Legal
Services attorney Ellen Drol
the court to award the following:
-Diarnissal of the eviction com­
plaint.
-Total rent rebate for the time
the apartments ere without hot ater
and orking toilets "due to Action Ren­
tal' failure to repair and maintaitl the
premise ."
-Return of their security depo 't
because Kathy Lan and Action Rentals
did not obey the Seeunty Depo . t La •
-Payment of s 1,000 to the Cald ell
family and $1,000 to Debra Alexander
damage result of Action Rental's
violation of the ichigan Truth-in-Rent­
ing Act .
. Alexander on the fir round of
her battle when Judge Hugh Blac di
missed the eviction complaint against her.
That etion came in a hearing onday,
ay 21. At that time Judge Black al
set 0 r for jury trial th other point in
h r suit gainst Kathy Lane.
All point of th Cald ell case in­
cluding the . eviction m tter will go
before a jury in th court room of Judge
Leo Coo . °
The attempt to evict Debra Alexand·
er beta Ac . ent
had received 0 rent p yment from the
Department of Social Servic after they
had i ed the eviction notice dated
April 10.
Kathy Lane rved Debra exander
with ne • otice to Quit" in the court­
room. . Alexander said she will fight
that notice also. .
Both tenants claim that the landlord
refu d to make repairs. They . ed
the problems °th their apartments:
-Sewer water b eking up in the
ment and the first floor bathtub.
-Flooded buentlellt
-Loo live ° e under the fust floor
sink where a gar ge dispo u to be.
- onfunctioning light .
-The tight itch to th bathroom in
one apartment ° controlled by itch
in the other ap rtment.
-Peeling paint.
Accordin to Debr Alex der, her
toddler son been shoc ed by the ire
under her sink.
Further more, the tenan complain
that when the b ment flooded ith
er ter and a broken pipe, the land­
lord refused to fIX the problem, he just
nailed the b t door shut.
Furthermore, both report that th
landlord mo ed t ash and dryer
out of the basement, put them in th
Caldwell's entry hall and told the tenants
that' the ay it had to be.
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