By Linda Sutter – December 23, 2020
Hours after lawmakers in Oregon passed a bill to protect renters from eviction until July 21, 2021, Landlords filed lawsuits to invalidate Oregon eviction bans.
Three individuals who filed the lawsuit argue that policies enacted by the State Governor Kate Brown, the State Legislative Assembly, Multnomah County, and the City of Portland are unconstitutional because they hinder legal contracts and amount to the government “taking” their property without proper compensation.
“Plaintiffs are being legally compelled to provide, for some indeterminate amount of time that has already stretched beyond 18 months, housing, utilities, and other services associated with habitability for large numbers of this state’s population-and Plaintiffs will likely bear the cost of this state-run public benefit program entirely on their own,” the lawsuit said.
One Plaintiff, Farhoud has lost more than one million dollars in back rent since March when the Moratorium was placed.
The Shermans own 22 housing units throughout Oregon, and have missed out on more than $8000.00 in rent payments this year.
The Oregon Legislature created a $150 million landlord assistance fund that will help property owners for the rent they have lost during Covid19. The catch; that money is likely not nearly enough to cover all the lost rent in the state, and to receive the money, landlords must forgive 20% of their back rent.
The lawsuit argues Oregon’s rent moratoriums have violated the Fourth, Fifth, and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
