You are receiving this because you have previously indicated interest in volunteering with the Saturday Lawyer Program. Below are summaries for cases that we believe have merit but we’ve been unable to find an attorney to assist these clients and will soon have to close their cases for lack of placement options.
Unfortunately, we are unable to place all cases. For some of these clients, our program will be their last best chance for help. If you are an attorney licensed in Georgia, we ask that you please consider helping one (or more) of these clients.
No previous experience is necessary
If you are interested in assisting, we will provide you with conflict check information along with training materials and any kind of support that you need to aid you in representing the client. If you would like to take a case, please respond directly to this email or contact Erica Taylor at etaylor@avlf.org.
Please respond as soon as possible and no later than 2 weeks after this email is received.
Two weeks from now, we will begin contacting the below clients to inform them that we are unable to help them.
The Case Summaries
J. Moreau- FAILURE TO REPAIR (SEWAGE LEAK)
Mr. Moreau moved in June 2020 and has been having plumbing issues, as the pipes are old and the main line is broken. The front part of his house floods raw sewage when he showers. It also backs up into his tub. The landlord claims they addressed the issue but flooding still occurs. They broke the fence in front of his house and damaged one of his rooms while during attempted repair. He found his young son on the autistic spectrum playing in the sewage water.
The crawlspace, which was locked during the walk through at his move in, is also flooded with sewage. The first plumber had to break the crawlspace door down and there is now a fly infestation there. At that time, there were issues with the toilet flooding. Mr. Moreau was also without AC all of last year. He would like assistance in getting the repairs effectively completed and receiving an abatement of rent.
Ms. McCarley lived in a home with poor conditions and stayed in hotels at certain times because of this. There was an eviction filed against her for unpaid rent. The rent was unpaid due to conditions in the home and hardships related to the pandemic. Ms. McCarley was able to get help from Atlanta Legal Aid for her eviction and the result was that the landlord agreed to waive a significant portion of the rent if Ms. McCarley tendered $6,000 in 90 days.
The parties signed the agreement but due to error, the agreement wasn't entered as a consent order. Ms. McCarley paid the money, as agreed and on time. But the landlord told Ms. McCarley the funds were not sufficient to see the matter as resolved. The landlord claimed that they were not waiving the balance but the claim to collect the balance. The landlord claimed also claimed that Ms. McCarley owed money because she had not completed her lease term. Ms. McCarley had agreed to vacate as part of the agreement. The landlord is using these reasons to hold Ms. McCarley's security deposit, which is $2,660. She would like assistance in getting her deposit back.
Ms. Summerour moved her home on June 28, 2020. She began noticing mold in the kitchen cabinets about a month or so later. The bathroom sink was leaking on and off, but the landlord repaired it. The garbage disposal backs up with raw sewage. She has noticed water coming in from the windows and her closet has been wet; mold began growing around the windows and has now spread to her furniture. Her one year old granddaughter has bronchial and coughing issues. The landlord admitted that there was previously mold in the home.
When Ms. Summerour first moved in, the landlord said they would give her a tax credit unit, but they didn’t and her rent has been double the amount. Her lease ended in June and she is now a month to month tenant. She would like to break her lease without penalty.
