LAKE CHARLES, La. – Nearly 200 tenants of Wilshire Apartment Homes in Lake Charles have been given a little more time to deal with the situation created when they were forced to evacuate their homes due to Hurricane Laura.
William Quigley, an attorney at Loyola University’s College of Law represented the 191 tenants in their effort to prevent the landlord at the Wilshire Apartment Homes from following through on a threat to place their personal belongings out onto the street if they were not collected by Sept. 14.
The petition for a temporary restraining order was filed in the name of Tyneesha Jackson and on behalf of herself and the other affected tenants. The complaint notes that eviction proceedings were not initiated against any of the tenants.
According to the complaint, the tenants were first told not to return to the complex due to a lack of electricity and water. Shortly thereafter, they were sent electronic communication notifying them that their leases were terminated and they had until Sept. 14 to remove their belongings from the apartments.
Judge Robert L. Wyatt of the 14th Judicial District Court had a telephone conference with the landlord and tenant representatives on Sept 14.
“The judge heard us and the apartment complex out and issued the temporary restraining order," Quigley told the Louisiana Record.
The order extends through Sept. 29, and essentially declares that the landlords must follow normal legal processes for evicting tenants, and cannot otherwise break any lease agreement held with any tenant. The order also permits residents to call on local law enforcement to gain entry to their apartment if necessary.
Peak Consulting LLC, the Utah-based company that manages the apartments was also ordered to notify the tenants about the restraining order by the same means used to notify them of the eviction.
Although the restraining order is temporary, Wyatt also ordered Peak Consulting to show cause by 9 a.m. on Oct. 8 why the judge should not issue a preliminary writ of injunction to enforce the same terms as those laid out in the temporary order.