‘Socialist’ Judge, Refusing To Evict Tenants, Rankles City Landlords

CBS Pittsburgh reports:

Luxury apartment buildings are going up, rents are going up, and guess what else? Evictions are going up as more and more people are being tossed out of their apartments for non-payment of rent.

“We have a crisis in housing in this city. Poor people are being forced out of the city,” said Mel Packer, an affordable housing advocate.

Recently-elected District Justice Mik Pappas ran on a platform of stemming that tide by making landlords more accountable in court.

“There are good actors on the side of lessors and there are bad actors on the side of lessors, and what I promise to do is give great defense to the rights of all parties involved in each case,” Pappas said.

But those lessors, or landlords, are crying foul. They are filing complaints the Court Administrator’s Office saying Pappas has come down squarely on the side of the tenants — continuing or postponing cases, not granting evictions, and when he does evict, not requiring the tenant to pay the back rent owed.

When judges no longer respect contracts.....