Justice Battled: Veteran wins court case without leaving home

Our client is a 63 year-old disabled Army veteran who served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

He fell behind on his bills, partly because his landlord charged him $100 for every maintenance call regardless of what needed to be repaired. As his monthly income is just $770 in Social Security disability benefits, he was unable to pay the rental arrears and the excessive maintenance charges.

His landlord took him to court and we assisted him in entering into a repayment plan. As part of the repayment plan, the landlord agreed to accept money from Utility Emergency Services Fund (UESF). UESF has a special fund just for veterans for rental assistance.

The client subsequently failed to make payments timely and the landlord sought to bring him back to court for the breach of the payment plan.

We opposed the allegation of breach and asserted that as the landlord accepted money from UESF, he waived his right to complain that the tenant failed to make payments. The landlord agreed with us and withdrew the affidavit of breach.

The client was extremely grateful that the allegation of breach was withdrawn and he was spared what would have been a difficult trip for him from West Philly to downtown.

He is now paid in full and happy to stay in his HUD-subsidized apartment in a neighborhood that he is familiar with and close to the services he needs.