Judge OKs Sept. 5 Start Date for Barrington Plaza evictions

Landlord Douglas Emmett won a legal battle this week when a judge denied the Barrington Plaza Tenant Association’s request for a preliminary injunction which would halt evictions from Barrington Plaza, the largest multifamily complex in West Los Angeles.

The decision clears the way so Douglas Emmett can start eviction cases on Sept. 5 at the apartment complex with 712 affordable units.

Douglas Emmett has maintained that the 61-year-old complex must be vacant to start a multimillion-dollar renovation program, which would include installing fire sprinklers. In June, the tenants association sued the REIT to stop the looming evictions.

Tenants in about 230 units will get eviction notices, according to legal filings. Tenants in more than 120 units have been granted extensions under California’s Ellis Act law, which will give them until May 8 to move.

The Ellis Act gives landlords legal protection in evicting tenants if they are permanently taking a building out of the rental market.

A law firm representing the tenant association contends that Douglas Elliman has not been serious about taking all of Barrington Plaza residences off the market, so it hasn’t complied with the Ellis Act. Nima Farahani of the Campbell & Farahani firm said that his client also scored a legal victory in the ruling this week.

“We didn’t get our first choice of preventing Douglas Emmett from filing cases,” Farahani said.

However, Farahani also noted that the judge ordered Douglas Emmett to file “a notice of related case” with every eviction the landlord intends to file. These notices will alert the judge presiding over eviction actions that there is already an on-going civil case for the Barrington case pending.

Larry Gross, executive director of advocacy group Coalition for Economic Survival, has worked with the tenants association. He told LAist said that having all the Barrington eviction cases in one court would help tenant advocates defend more cases.

The next hearing in the wider case of Barrington Plaza Tenant Associate v Douglas Emmett is scheduled for Oct. 30.