O’Melveny Successfully Defends Low-Income Single Mother Sued by Her Landlord

After she was sued by her former landlord for unpaid rent, an O’Melveny pro bono team represented a single mother who is the full-time caretaker for her disabled son.

The case came to O’Melveny through Inner City Law Center (ICLC), a nonprofit poverty-law firm serving the poorest and most vulnerable residents of Los Angeles. The firm and ICLC have a relationship spanning several decades, leading to many successful outcomes for clients over the years.

The firm determined that the tenant’s rent was covered in part by an emergency rental assistance program called “Housing Is Key” and that the landlord had received the full rent owed. O’Melveny’s lawyers helped prepare the client for her hearing and submitted exhibits to the court demonstrating that the plaintiff’s case was fundamentally defective.

At the hearing, the judge stated that the defendant successfully demonstrated she should win and gave the plaintiff leave to submit any counter evidence. The landlord dropped the case soon after, to the great relief of the client.