The City Attorney's Consumer Protection Unit of Santa Monica is cracking down on landlords who play fast and loose with tenants' rights, filing a lawsuit against Masoud Atef, owner of a rent-controlled building, for allegedly breaching fair housing and anti-harassment laws, as per a statement from the city's public information officer, Tati Simonian.
In a move to stick up for the underdog, the suit accuses Atef of denying one immunocompromised tenant's request for mold remediation and relocation during the process, the City Attorney's Office is saying that Atef went so far as to suggest his building wasn't "a wise choice for someone with respiratory issues." The city isn't taking this lying down, with Deputy City Attorney Denise McGranahan stating, "The City Attorney’s Office works diligently to affirmatively further fair housing in our city," adding "Our goal is to protect all tenants in our city and eliminate discriminatory practices through education and litigation, if necessary." as reported by the city.
Atef isn't just in the hot seat for the mold dispute, but also for reportedly making the lives of multiple tenants a living nightmare by demanding they move out without any legal grounds, barging into apartments without notice, engaging in verbal confrontations, and blocking access to amenities in apparent retaliation for tenants standing up for their legal rights. The city's lawsuit is angling for a court to compel Atef to halt his harassment, get educated on fair housing laws, grant the disabled tenant her request, and revert services retracted from the tenant, in addition to seeking damages for the distress caused.
Allegations against the landlord don't stop at municipal efforts, two former tenants who claim they were driven out by Atef's coercion have taken their grievances to court with a hefty 12-cause lawsuit, Cano v. Atef, both complaints are to be appraised by the same judge. This development aligns with the city's hardline stance on preserving the sanctuary of home and the sanctity of civil liberties within the domestic sphere.
