Illegal Eviction Lawyer – $275,000 Settlement

A Maryland tenant recovered a $275,000 illegal eviction settlement after a Maryland landlord’s mistaken eviction of the wrong apartment.  After going to work that morning, our client came home at the end of the day to find her apartment empty.  Her rent was paid in full, she had not breached her lease and she had not received any eviction notices from the landlord.  How could this happen?

Tenants who are the victims of an illegal eviction when when the landlord mistakenly evicts the wrong apartment have tremendous legal rights and can bring claims for compensation. Damages that a tenant can recover for an illegal eviction or mistaken eviction includes property loss, property damage, economic loss, emotional distress and attorneys fees, all of which can be significant. 

If you were the victim of an illegal eviction or a mistaken eviction after the landlord evicted the wrong apartment, contact Whitney, LLP’s mistaken eviction lawyers.  Whitney, LLP has experience successfully representing tenants in mistaken eviction claims when the landlord evicted the wrong apartment, and in other wrongful and illegal eviction claims.

Read about Whitney, LLP’s 2024 $70,000 Illegal Eviction Settlement in another illegal eviction case in Maryland where the landlord removed our client’s property before the lease move-out date.

We offer Free Case Evaluations in Illegal Eviction and Mistaken Eviction Claims.

Call Whitney, LLP today at 410) 583-8000 or use our Quick Contact Form.  We represent Maryland consumers in a variety of illegal eviction claims when their legal rights are violated.

Read our blog here to learn about the cases we handle, and watch our YouTube Channel to learn more.

$275,000 Illegal Eviction Settlement

After our client was wrongfully evicted due to what the landlord claimed was a mistake, she tried to work it out with the landlord.  It quickly became evident that what she needed and what the property manager had in mind were two very different things.  She realized she needed an experienced illegal eviction attorney, and found Whitney, LLP’s illegal eviction lawyers.

How Does a Mistaken Eviction Happen?

A mistaken eviction usually occurs as the result of a landlord’s negligence.

Landlords must follow procedures when evicting a tenant in Maryland.  First, the landlord must obtain a Warrant of Restitution, which is issued by the Court. Assuming all necessary and legal steps are then followed, and no tenant’s rights are violated, only the correct apartment may be evicted.

When a landlord evicts the wrong apartment, or a tenant is evicted illegally, the tenant has many rights and can fight back. Whitney, LLP’s illegal eviction attorney’s can help when landlords perform illegal evictions.

Landlords Must Follow Eviction Procedures

After an eviction can legally occur, the landlord can proceed with the actual eviction, including removing all of the property from the apartment.  Landlords often hire a separate property removal company to remove personal property from an apartment being evicted.  

Coordination between the landlord and the eviction company handling the property removal is required to make sure the correct apartment is evicted.  Landlords should have procedures in place to avoid a mistaken eviction, and to ensure that a tenant does not come home to find that the landlord evicted the wrong process. 

Coordination of this process requires that the landlord provide accurate information to the property removal company.  Accurate eviction information includes providing the correct apartment number and the key to the correct apartment.  Coordination also requires that an employee of the landlord accompany the property removal company to the apartment and ensure that the correct apartment is being opened and accessed.  Providing the wrong apartment and wrong key to an eviction property removal company is negligent conduct for which a landlord can be held responsible. 

Landlord Evicted the Wrong Apartment

Our client was the victim of an illegal eviction in the form of a mistaken eviction.  Upon arriving home from work, she found a completely empty apartment.  All of her personal belongings, clothing, documents, paperwork, pictures and items of sentimental value were gone.  She immediately contacted the landlord. After some halfhearted excuses were made, the landlord eventually admitted that a mistaken eviction had occurred and the landlord had evicted the wrong apartment. 

Our client was heartbroken and did not know what to do.  Because the landlord took no action to begin fix their error, our client  contacted the mistaken eviction attorneys at Whitney, LLP.  Whitney, LLP has experience filing suit against negligent landlords in evictions and other matters, and recovering compensation for our clients when landlords need to be held accountable. 

Daniel W. Whitney, Jr. and Daniel W. Whitney, Sr.

Illegal Eviction Lawyer – Whitney, LLP

Once our client told us what happened, our research confirmed that she was in no way at fault and the landlord was to blame. After filing suit and obtaining documents from both the landlord and the property removal company, it was evident that a horrible error had occurred.

Our client was entitled to significant compensation, which we recovered for her in the amount of $275,000 for the mistaken eviction.  The $275,000 mistaken eviction settlement included compensation for property loss, economic loss, emotional distress and attorney’s fees. Of course, all cases are different, and past results do not guarantee future performance.

Victims of mistaken evictions who come home to find that the landlord evicted the wrong apartment can fight back, hold the negligent landlord accountable and recover significant compensation.

Call Whitney, LLP today at (410) 583-8000 or use our Quick Contact Form to discuss your potential claims.

Whitney, LLP’s mistaken eviction lawyers have experience suing landlords and recovering compensation.  We offer Free Legal Evaluations to victims of mistaken evictions across Maryland, including in Annapolis, Baltimore, Columbia, Germantown, Silver Spring, Waldorf, Glen Burnie, Ellicott City, Frederick, Dundalk, and Rockville.