Landlord Avoids Liability Due to Tenant’s Partition

KMWB’s Nicholas Yokos secured a favorable ruling in recent tenant-initiated proceedings against a local landlord. In response to the tenant’s call to 311, HPD inspected the premises and issued several violations, including for an illegal sheetrock partition. The landlord was able to demonstrate to the Court that the tenant was responsible for the installation of the partition. However, the tenant refused to allow the landlord to remove it, and Counsel moved for contempt against the tenant. The tenant cross-moved to dismiss the violation, and even though HPD vehemently opposed dismissal of the violation, the Court granted such dismissal after oral argument, meaning that the landlord was no longer subject to potential penalties.