O'Melveny's 2018-2019 Pro Bono Review

O’MELVENY PRO BONO PROGRAM REVIEW 2018- 2019 27 Keeping an Elderly Tenant in Her Home D.R. is a retired 69-year-old woman who has lived in a rent-stabilized apartment in the Bronx since 1974. Her troubles with her landlord began in early 2014 after she asked him to add her daughter’s name to her lease. The landlord refused unless D.R. agreed to a 66% rent increase—an unlawful amount—that the landlord claimed represented the “market rent” for the apartment. Then the harassment began: He repeatedly attempted to get D.R. to vacate her apartment, threatened to cut off her utilities, and refused to address more than 20 housing-code violations. In 2016, D.R. retained O’Melveny through a referral from Legal Services New York City. Attempts to resolve the dispute continued, but negotiations went nowhere. The landlord was insistent that D.R. leave her apartment while repairs were made, and D.R. was adamant Fair Housing No aspect of modern life is as intricately tied to the perception of a person’s place in society as housing. Unfair housing practices are often a bellwether of broader discrimination in the community, and homelessness is, of course, one of the plagues of our time. O’Melveny has played a leading role as an advocate for those displaced and disillusioned by today’s housing crisis. that she would not, for fear that he would not allow her to return to her home. Finally, the parties sat down for court-facilitated settlement discussions. After O’Melveny attorneys pointed out that the landlord had essentially admitted to harassing D.R., the landlord agreed to let D.R. remain in the apartment during repairs, stipulated to an injunction prohibiting any further harassment, credited D.R. for six months’ rent she had paid while her apartment was in disrepair, and accepted that she would not be required to pay more than $1 per month in rent until all repairs were complete. When the landlord filed an administrative appeal, O’Melveny again represented the client before the Division of Housing & Community Renewal, which found in the client’s favor, denying administrative review and affirming the Rent Administrator’s order. Advocating for a Mother Under Threat of Eviction Stephanie Resto was living in public housing with her two children, ages 8 and 11, when the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) brought a summary eviction preceding against her on the basis that drugs and drug paraphernalia had been recovered in her apartment. To prevail on its petition for eviction, NYCHA had to prove at trial that an illegal O’Melveny received Lawyers Alliance for New York’s 2018 Cornerstone Award honoring organizations and individuals who have provided outstanding pro bono legal services to nonprofits improving the quality of life for low-income New Yorkers.