CitiApartments 2

So the Citiapartments case continues on.

In the event that anyone missed it, CitiApartments has been on a bit of a P.R. campaign lately to show that they really, could not be guilty of the charges laid against them in the case. This has included renting one (that would 1), apartment below market to a formerly homeless family, making donations to San Francisco AIDS charities, and donating a box of coats to the homeless.

In other news, since the original suit was filed back in April, the City and County of San Francisco has filed suit (San Francisco Superior Court case no. CGC-06-455241). The CCSF case essentially boils down to a charge that CitiApartments, in its various forms, has been engaged in eviction for profit (using evictions to cause evictions to raise the rents on the rental units), violating the San Francisco Residential Rent and Stablization Ordinance, imposing utility shutoffs (that would be an allegation that the landlord would cut off water and/or electricity) and generally harassing the tenants unreasonably.

This boils down to 2 counts of public nuisance per se and a count of 17200 (aka Unfair Business Practices). Citiapartments has yet to respond to the 2nd Amended Complaint.

In the case brought by the tenants, CitiApartments has answered, and of course has denied everything. Looking at the docket sheet, it looks like a mediation was scheduled but then either occurred and failed or was cancelled. There was also a discovery fight that resulted in an order compelling further responses to interrogatories from CitiApartments. Not unusual in case, but not exactly surprising.

All in all, the case appears to be moving along. It currently has a trial date of June 4, 2007.