A judge on Thursday preliminarily ruled that the eviction of hundreds of tenants at Barrington Plaza, a large West Side apartment complex, did not comply with state and local laws.
The plaza’s owner, Douglas Emmett Inc., tried to evict nearly 600 tenants from the complex last year, saying it was necessary to install fire sprinklers and other fire safety upgrades after two major fires.
Hundreds of residents have moved out in the months since eviction notices were issued. But more than 100 people remained, and the tenants’ association sued, saying the evictions were illegal. They framed the fight as an effort to protect a small number of rent-regulated apartments in a neighborhood where housing costs are extremely high.
Tenants will be able to stay in their homes, according to a tentative ruling issued Thursday by Superior Court Judge H. Jay Ford III.
The trial in the civil case was held in April at a Santa Monica courthouse.
At the heart of the case are two laws: the state’s Ellis Act, which gives landlords the right to get out of the rental business, and the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance, which controls rent increases and addresses the impact of the Ellis Act on local applicable issues).
Ford said in its preliminary ruling that the owner failed to meet both parties’ demands.
Under the Ellis Act, landlords can evict rent-stabilized tenants in order to remove units from the rental market. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance states that a landlord can evict a unit if it has a good faith intention to demolish the unit or permanently remove it from rental housing use.
The judge found that the company never intended to take the units off the rental market when it tried to evict the tenants. Instead, the company plans to renovate the units and re-lease them.
The company “currently and continues to intend to renovate these units for future use as residential rental housing,” he wrote.
During the trial, the company argued that it met the legal requirements for eviction. Lawyers for the owners said safety precautions forced them to evict tenants so they could install fire sprinklers following two major fires in recent years.
The company can still challenge the ruling, which is not final. The company had no immediate comment on the ruling. But on Thursday, tenants were celebrating.
“This victory is a testament to the strength, resilience and unity of our community,” the Barrington Place Tenants Association said in a statement after the ruling. “The court recognized our rights and ruled in our favor. This decision Marks a major victory for tenants’ rights.”
