Judgement, Injunction Obtained In Tenant Harassment And Injunction Case

August 1, 2023 ·

SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica announced in a press release on Monday, July 31, a case brought by the City’s Tenant Harassment Ordinance, COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium, and Home-Sharing Ordinance by the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael E. Whitaker signed a stipulated judgment and injunction against the Defendant-landlord SoCal Investment Company, LLC.

In City v. Youseph Golshirazian et al, Case No. 21SMCV00201, the city of Santa Monica alleged that, SoCal Investment Company, LLC engaged in a campaign to empty out a 30-unit residential building of long-term rent-controlled tenants. Allegations included fraud, intimidation, bad faith baseless evictions during a pandemic surge and in violation of the COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium, failure to provide mandatory disclosures in making buyout offers, and renting units as unlawful vacation rentals after attempting to evict long-term tenants.

The defendants filed eviction cases against five tenants homes in November 2020, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the city’s  Eviction Moratorium was in effect. The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles represented the tenants in defending the evictions and the cases were dismissed by defendants.

As a part of the settlement with the city of Santa Monica, Defendants Hanokh Golshirazian, Youseph Golshirazian, and SoCal Investment Company, LLC:

-Posted and mailed notices of tenants’ rights to all tenants in properties they own or manage in Santa Monica;

-Attended City-approved landlord-tenant training;

-Paid $125,000 to the City, to be used to support housing protection work within the City; and,

-Agreed to comply with tenant protection and vacation rental laws and to be subject to a minimum penalty of $10,000 for each violation proven in court for four years.

With this stipulated judgment terms indicate the owners must comply with Santa Monica’s tenant protection laws, including the Tenant Harassment Ordinance, the requirement to report attempted evictions, the vacation rental law, and the eviction moratorium.

“The City has passed some of the strongest tenant protection laws in the state,” said City Attorney Doug Sloan. “We made extraordinary efforts to protect tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic and have continued to focus on tenant protection since. Cases like this one show our willingness to enforce these laws to protect the community.” A separate and related case brought by the victim tenants, represented by the law firm Elder & Spencer, LLP, was also resolved.

By Trevor

Next Post

Victim Stabbed Near Beach Restrooms

SANTA MONICA—One individual was stabbed near beach restrooms located near the end of Bicknell Avenue on Monday, July 31. Officers responded to a 911 call of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 2000 block of the beach at…
Read
Previous Post

Body In A Barrel Discovered At Malibu Lagoon

MALIBU— The body of a man was discovered inside of a 55 gallon oil drum that was floating in the water of Malibu Lagoon State Beach on Monday, July 31, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau’s Lieutenant Hugo…
Read
Random Post

Road Closures Expected In Malibu Because Of Storms

MALIBU—On Tuesday, March 11, the city of Malibu indicated that roads in the region will be closed because of upcoming storms in the area. Due to safety concerns from the incoming storm, Los Angeles County Public Works will restrict access…
Read
Random Post

Civic Leadership Academy Spring 2025 Accepting Applications

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Friday, March 14, the city of West Hollywood announced on its Facebook page that applications for our 2025 Spring Civic Leadership Academy are now open. “The Civic Leadership Academy is a unique multi-session program that empowers participants to…
Read
Random Post

Residents, Stakeholders Asked To Partake In Future Metro Rail Service

WEST HOLLYWOOD—The city is spreading the word that Metro will be hosting meetings on September 19 and September 26 to provide an update to the community about the environmental study underway to bring future Metro rail service to West Hollywood.…
Read
Random Post

11 Cases Of Mosquito-Borne Dengue In SOCAL

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On October 31, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) confirmed 11 new cases of the mosquito-borne Dengue fever in SOCAL including seven in Baldwin Park, two in El Monte, one case in Panorama City, and one…
Read