Nonprofit suing courts for not doing enough to protect NC families from evictions

CHARLOTTE — A nonprofit law firm in North Carolina is going after local courts for not doing enough to protect families from eviction.

Legal Aid is suing state and county court officials accused of violating orders to prevent evictions. One order was put in place by the CDC, the other, by Gov. Roy Cooper.

Both temporarily stop landlords from evicting someone who’s shown they’re unable to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re seeing a lot of tenants that take the declaration … they show it to the court, the clerk. They show it to the sheriff. And despite that, because of the lack of good guidance given to them by the courts, the evictions are going forward anyway,” said Isaac Sturgill with Legal Aid.

Families can fill out paperwork to show they cannot pay rent because of the pandemic. Landlords are supposed to stop the eviction process from there.

“It has been a complete nightmare,” said local resident Kim, who did not want to release her full name.

However, she did want to talk about her eviction experience.

“You’re trying to get yourself together because COVID-19 has impacted your everyday life, and then you have a letter that says, ‘Goodbye, you gotta go,’” Kim said.

She said she was evicted from her home Sunday.

Kim did not know about the federal and state ordered designed to protect people like her.

Sturgill said landlords are supposed to tell tenants, who face evictions, about those orders.

“He should have had to provide her with paperwork from the CDC,” Sturgill said.

Despite that paperwork, Sturgill said some court officials are still giving landlords the right to evict tenants.

“We’re seeing cases where families, who should be protected, are being evicted,” the attorney said.

He hopes the lawsuit will force more courts to comply with state and federal eviction orders.

“I just don’t know when our courts are going to get on board,” Sturgill said. “They’re a critical piece in this, in implementing these protections.”

The CDC’s moratorium on evictions does not expire until Dec. 31.

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