Tenants go to Statehouse to share stories, advocate for fairer treatment
Several Indiana renters took turns stepping up to the microphone in the Statehouse’s north atrium and sharing their stories during the Tenants Day of Action.
Tenant and Landlord Dispute
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Preparations underway to help renters caught in wave
In less than two weeks, the moratorium on evictions put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to end, and while some fear a wave of evictions will follow, others say the long-awaited day of reckoning needs to come.
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Web Exclusive: Legal clinic offers education series through Facebook
When in-person legal education events became virtually impossible during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic chose to go virtual.
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Alternative approaches: Pew study finds civil legal problems impacting 47% of US households
After finding the need for civil legal assistance in the United States is widespread across all income levels — and perhaps spread wider than previously thought — The Pew Charitable Trusts sees a need for new solutions to addressing the problems experienced by many individuals and families.
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Rent-to-own housing lawsuit settlement comes at a cost
Although the legal battle with rent-to-own housing company Casas Baratas Aqui ended with what the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana calls a “groundbreaking resolution that will have national impact,” the bitterness and damage invoked by the defendants’ counterclaims continues to rankle both sides in the litigation.
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Articles
Multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Indianapolis apartment complex can proceed, COA rules
A pro se litigant who filed a $2.5 million lawsuit in Marion Superior Court using a small claims form will be able to seek damages from her landlord after the Court of Appeals of Indiana found res judicata did not bar all her claims.
Indiana Supreme Court unveils eviction diversion program
The Indiana Supreme Court has established a statewide pre-eviction diversion program, mandating that trial courts offer the service to landlords and tenants when a petition for eviction is filed.
Eviction court quick, sometimes painful process
In the rising tide of eviction filings in Indiana, the Wayne Township Small Claims Court in Indianapolis is waterfront property.
‘Cheap, easy, fast’: Evictions caused by debt, fueled by procedures
Legal aid attorneys and policy analysts point to money as the root cause of Indiana’s current eviction crisis. But compounding the already bad situation is the state’s eviction process.
Indiana Supreme Court establishes Eviction Task Force
A nine-member task force created by the Indiana Supreme Court will help landlords and tenants resolve their disputes and access federal rental assistance resources.
Indiana landlords turn to Rokita for help as fears of evictions rise
A group of Hoosier landlords has asked Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita for help in getting compensation from the state for the rent they lost during the eviction moratoriums and is preparing to take legal action against the state and federal governments.
IndyBar: Help Tenants Avoid Eviction and Understand Their Rights
Attorney, paralegal and law student volunteers are needed at upcoming Small Claims Tenant Assistance Clinics in Lawrence and Warren Townships with intake assistance from Indiana Legal Services.
Feds report most rental assistance has still not gone out
States and localities have only distributed 11% of the tens of billions of dollars in federal rental assistance, the Treasury Department said Wednesday, the latest sign the program is struggling to reach the millions of tenants at risk of eviction.
Landlords look for an exit amid federal eviction moratorium
Landlords, big and small, are angry about eviction moratoriums, which they consider illegal. Many believe some tenants could have paid rent, if not for the moratorium.
Federal judge leaves CDC evictions moratorium in place
A federal judge is refusing landlords’ request to put the Biden administration’s new eviction moratorium on hold, though she made clear she thinks it’s illegal.
Indiana records nearly 500 eviction petitions filed at start of August
In the window between the end of the previous moratorium on evictions and the issuance of the current ban, 486 eviction cases were filed in Indiana from Aug. 1 through midday Aug. 4, according to data from the Indiana Supreme Court.
Indy launches tenant advocate program as eviction moratorium ends
A new tenant advocate program will put a housing liaison in every small claims court in Marion County during an expected surge in evictions, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration announced Thursday.
AG Rokita sues firms for dangerous conditions at two Indy apartment complexes
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita filed suit Tuesday against a New Jersey-based affordable housing not-for-profit and a New York-based property manager for poor conditions at two Indianapolis apartment complexes.
How Indiana evictions could surge post-moratorium
A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. Here’s what that could mean for Hoosiers.
LaPorte County apartment accused of violating fair housing acts
The Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana has filed a complaint in federal court against a Michigan City apartment complex, claiming the “discriminatory practices” of the residential provider deprived a Hoosier family of a place to live.
Boost Mobile kiosk vendor booted from grocer boosted on appeal
An appellate panel has reversed for a cellphone kiosk owner subleasing space in an East Chicago supermarket after finding a Lake County judge erred in granting a motion for immediate possession by a new sublessor.
IU wins reversal in students’ mold-infestation lawsuit
Indiana University Bloomington claimed a victory in the legal fight over mold infestation in dorms, convincing the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn the denial of the school’s summary judgment motion on all tort claims brought by the affected students.
Judge: CDC exceeded authority in issuing eviction moratorium
A federal judge in Ohio has ruled that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lacked the authority to issue a nationwide moratorium on rental evictions, the second such ruling issued by a federal judge in two weeks.
Lilly Endowment gives $250K boost to legal aid
Indiana Legal Services has received a $250,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment to help the growing number of Hoosiers who have legal needs as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency.