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[Patricia]
You say he's a con artist.

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[narrator]
Today on Tribunal Justice...

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You stayed there 10 months
without paying rent.

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No, that's incorrect.
He received the COVID rent-relief money.

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We talked about that.

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Somebody's got the law on their side
and somebody doesn't.

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It might not be you guys.

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[narrator] This case was filed
in Richmond, California.

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Your Honor, this is case #1119
on the calendar

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in the matter of Johnson vs. Johnson.

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Parties have been sworn in.
You may be seated.

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[Patricia] Well, I'd like to say
this is gonna be a nice, simple case.

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But there's a lot of mathematics and
calculations and computations

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and government agencies and all
involved in this.

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So, once we hear
the word "government agency,"

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we know there's a problem
somewhere in here.

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So, Mr. Johnson, who is not related
to Mr. Johnson...

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So, I'm gonna call you Tharlo and
I'm gonna call you Jonathan,

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if you don't mind. This way
we're not Johnson and Johnson here.

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Okay, so, Mr. Tharlo, you rented property
from Jonathan.

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-Yes, ma'am.
-[Patricia] And you did some work on it

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before you moved in,
you said to make it liveable.

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You said while you were doing this work,
you noticed there was some mold around.

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You accepted the place because in
the Bay Area, you say it's very expensive

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and the rental here was only $1,250.
You signed a month-to-month lease,

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you moved in in 2018.
Fast forward to January 2021.

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You say you defaulted on the rent
until April 21st.

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In May, you applied for COVID relief
and you say that that was approved.

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That COVID relief then covered
that rent that you didn't pay

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from January to April. You then paid rent
from May through August

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without any problem.
And it was in September 2021,

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that you claim the Defendant unexpectedly
and illegally,

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served you with 60 days notice
to move out.

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And you say that this was
an illegal eviction

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because the Defendant
was not in compliance

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with an act called the Ellis Act.
The general gist of that Ellis Act

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is that you can't just ask someone to
leave, in this particular area as well.

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That you need to be
taking the apartment over for yourself

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or a family member, etc., and that the
tenant was entitled to a relocation fee.

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That being said, sir,
you contacted an attorney

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and you were told
about this relocation fee.

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And you stayed there for
the next 10 months without paying rent.

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You actually moved out on June 1st, 2022

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and had not paid the rent from the date
of your notice in September of '21

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until you moved out.
So, you then petitioned

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the City of Richmond Rent Board
on two issues.

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One, you wanted your full relocation fee,
which was $13,510

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and two, you wanted to be compensated
for what you're calling

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an uninhabitable apartment,
as you mentioned right at the outset

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that you needed to do work on and
continued to remain in disrepair.

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And it was determined that you indeed
were entitled to

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a relocation fee of the amount discussed.
You were told, however,

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that you could only get half of that
with the notice,

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$6,755, the balance to be paid

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when you turned in your key
and you moved out

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after you gave 30 days notice.

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What you're suing for here is that balance
of the relocation fee

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that you say the Defendant
unlawfully withheld from you.

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Now, at the same time
that all this is going on,

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you say, no, that's not true, that
he's taking advantage of the COVID rules,

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the rent relief rules and
every rule you can think of.

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He hired a lawyer, and then
wanted $30,000 from you to get out.

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You say he stayed another nine months.
He didn't pay rent, according to you.

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And you finally received the $8,750
after the Plaintiff left.

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You're keeping that money. You say
that it's money that he owes you

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because he's a con artist.
Why does he owe you this money?

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He did pay me half of
my relocation payment when I moved out.

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But I put in for the rent relief form and
he ended up getting paid for that.

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So, all my rent should be paid up.
So, I should receive my whole payment.

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I have to tell you it kind of bothered me,
like, you asked for $30,000 to move.

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Don't you think that you could've been
a little more reasonable

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with your request,
knowing that there is an Ellis Act

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and what the monies
that they would've allowed you?

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That was something
the Defense Center wrote for me.

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I didn't write that. And then,
with the relocation payment,

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that was straight from
the City of Richmond.

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I didn't make that number up either.

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So, there are a couple of things here.
One of the things we can look at,

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because it's simpler to deal with
is this $3,000 and change

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that you got for the premises
being uninhabitable.

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You actually had a hearing on that issue,
correct? What was wrong with the property?

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There was mold...

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[Patricia]
They gave you $1,500 for the mold

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because they said you lived with the mold
for almost a year, right?

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On and off, yes.

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Okay, so, just to make your position
a little more clear,

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maybe from your perspective...

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Why is it you think you can
withhold this money?

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So, during the settlement agreement,
no COVID funds had been approved.

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There was no guarantee
that I was gonna get the money.

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So, the Rent Board, which he agreed to,
they said,

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since you haven't paid up to this time,
it's pretty much equal

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to the first half of the payment
that I was supposed to give him.

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So, they covered your non-payment of rent
from October, November, December,

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January and February, and then,
they gave you $505 towards March.

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And that totaled $6,755.
So, you didn't get that money.

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You got covered for rent.
You did apply for COVID relief.

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And therefore, you did get reimbursed.
He was approved. So now,

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you can't have double the rent. He's
entitled to get back the $6,755. Correct?

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Well, he brought this issue up
to the Rent Board, and they said, no,

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you were compensated with the rent credit
because by the time he moved out,

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I still had not received
any of the COVID money.

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And so, when he left,
I paid him the remaining balance of...

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Which was how much?

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Sixty-seven fifty-five, and at that point,
everything was final.

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So, that you never had any unpaid rent.
Would that be correct, sir?

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At the time, when the agreement
was finalized, I had unpaid rent.

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As you stand here today,
did you have any unpaid rent?

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-No.
-[Patricia] So, you were made whole

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with regard to your tenancy.
Did you get any other monies

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from any other government agency,
or the Plaintiff,

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other than the rent money?

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No.

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-[Patricia] Why do you keep looking
at her? Do you know more than...

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She's my property manager.

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You want to step up?
Do you want to tell us your name

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and why seem to be more in the know
than him?

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'Cause he keeps looking at you.

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Well, that's my son, so...

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[Patricia]
It's good you look at your mom, then.

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Actually, you look too young
to be his mother, but go on.

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What's your name?

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-Karen.
-[Patricia] Karen, okay.

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So, Karen, why is your son wrong?

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-He's not wrong...
-[Patricia] Ah, I knew you were...

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He's never wrong.

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I hear what you're saying
that he was paid his rent money.

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and you know, why does he have to be,
you know, get more?

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I feel the same for Tharlo...

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I know, but somebody's got the law
on their side and somebody doesn't.

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And the way I'm seeing this,
it might not be you guys.

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[narrator]
Coming up on Tribunal Justice...

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Amount, $30,000.
Did you say to your lawyer,

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hey, I don't want to take $30,000
from him?

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No.

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We've come across a bunch of
shyster lawyers here from time to time.

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Did this lawyer, were they
getting a portion of that $30,000?

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[narrator] Tharlo Johnson
is suing his former landlord,

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Jonathan Johnson for relocation fees
and an illegal eviction.

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Jonathan claims Tharlo was made whole
by the Rent Board

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and is owed nothing.

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[Patricia] I just need to clear things up
for me to understand this.

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You were completely covered for the rent?

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-Correct.
-[Patricia] Did you get any other money?

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Other than the COVID money, no.

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Okay. You, sir, got $13,509.99, correct?

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That's incorrect. I got half of that.
I was awarded $13,000.

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He paid me half of it
from my relocation payment

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due to the fact I still owed him rent.
So, he got to keep half.

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But he got paid the other half from
the COVID-19 rent relief on my behalf.

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Okay. So, your position is,
he's double-dipped.

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Yeah.

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So, the Rent Board said
the first half was final

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when they gave him rent credits.
They said,

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whether you receive the COVID money
or not, because like I said,

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it wasn't approved at the time
when we finalized our agreement.

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You still have to pay a remaining balance
of $6,755...

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So, did you go in your pocket and
take out money and say, here's $6,755?

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Yes.

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So, you did that, never having received
that money from the government?

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-Correct.
-Yes.

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Sir, when you got that $6,755,
he gave you that money, correct?

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He had never gotten that money
from the government.

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So, the bottom line here is,
somebody got a check for $8,750.

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-Who was that?
-Me.

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[Karen]
When he applied for the COVID relief,

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however many months he put on there,
it was $1,250 times that amount of months,

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was equal to $8,750.

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I don't think anybody here is
a con artist, to be honest with you,

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because I think, at least for myself,
it took me quite awhile

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to figure out who owed what to whom.

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And I think that these rules and laws
can be very, very confusing.

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And the thing is, sometimes people,
Mr. Tharlo Johnson,

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intentionally remain in properties
knowing that they're not gonna pay rent,

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they're gonna get government assistance.
And there are other people out there

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that are actually struggling
to pay their rent and to meet their bills.

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Bottom line is,
I'm passing this to Judge Levy.

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So, if I understand you correct, sir,
you received

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$13,750 in total for COVID rent relief.

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Yes.

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00:10:05,266 --> 00:10:11,266
And then, you were ordered
to pay $13,509.99

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-for this Ellis relocation issue.
-Yes.

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Which leaves you
with a grand total of about $240.

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00:10:20,934 --> 00:10:23,467
-Yes. Yes.
-For the entire time.

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You have a mortgage on this home?

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00:10:25,133 --> 00:10:26,066
Yes, I do.

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How much is the monthly mortgage?

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About $2,500.

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00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,300
So, that's $30,000 a year
that it costs you to run the place.

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00:10:32,367 --> 00:10:36,400
You got from the government $13,750 for
the COVID rent.

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00:10:36,467 --> 00:10:38,200
You paid, out of your own pocket,

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you paid half of that
but he's asking for the other half.

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00:10:40,734 --> 00:10:41,734
-Mm-hmm.
-[Adam] Right.

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So, that pretty much cancels out the rent

195
00:10:43,867 --> 00:10:47,033
versus what you're paying
for the relocation. Right?

196
00:10:47,100 --> 00:10:50,200
So, the $30,000...
What did the government give to you

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00:10:50,266 --> 00:10:54,165
so that you can pay your mortgage,
pay your interest and do that?

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00:10:54,233 --> 00:10:55,433
-[Karen] Nothing.
-Nothing.

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00:10:55,500 --> 00:10:58,300
[Adam] Nothing. That's what I figured.
And so it seems to me,

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and again, you know,
I'm trying to wrap my head around this,

201
00:11:01,633 --> 00:11:04,200
So, instead of the government saying,
we're gonna help people,

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like the Plaintiff, who need help,
who are in a tough financial way,

203
00:11:07,633 --> 00:11:11,700
to relocate so they can find another place
when something like that happens,

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what the government said is,
you know what, it's much easier for us

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and it's better for our books
if we simply don't pay anything

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and we just require landlords to.
Isn't that what they're doing?

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00:11:21,433 --> 00:11:23,000
Yeah, pretty much.

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00:11:23,066 --> 00:11:25,734
I get that. But it's different
because there are some landlords

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00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,033
that you know, it's a full business,
they got 500 apartment units.

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00:11:29,100 --> 00:11:31,300
This is just the cost
of doing business for them.

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00:11:31,367 --> 00:11:34,066
-How many units do you rent?
-[Jonathan] Just that one.

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00:11:34,133 --> 00:11:38,200
Just that one. So, you get treated
the same exact way

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00:11:38,266 --> 00:11:41,567
as a company who's making $100,000,000
a year renting out apartments.

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Right.

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00:11:42,633 --> 00:11:45,533
Now, to the Plaintiff, in your complaint,
you said that it took a lot

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00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:47,433
for you to recover financially
due to COVID

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00:11:47,500 --> 00:11:50,033
and you're still struggling
to get on your feet. Explain that.

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00:11:50,100 --> 00:11:53,300
My job took a hit.
We was pretty much the first ones out.

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00:11:53,367 --> 00:11:56,767
-[Adam] What'd you do?
-I'm a trade show installer.

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00:11:56,834 --> 00:12:01,233
I'm a foreman. If you're familiar
with conventions, we build all that.

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And so, you took a hit
because you couldn't go to conventions,

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you weren't building out these areas.
So that was the financial hit you took.

223
00:12:08,133 --> 00:12:10,934
Right? And did you apply
for any type of PPE money?

224
00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:11,867
No.

225
00:12:11,934 --> 00:12:14,266
Okay. You were just out of work
for a period of time.

226
00:12:14,333 --> 00:12:16,000
And that's why you couldn't pay your rent.

227
00:12:16,066 --> 00:12:16,934
Yeah, pretty much.

228
00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,000
You with millions of other people.
Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that.

229
00:12:20,066 --> 00:12:22,233
And that was the purpose
of the rent relief,

230
00:12:22,300 --> 00:12:25,166
was to give tenants in your position
that exact relief.

231
00:12:25,233 --> 00:12:29,500
What I have an issue with
is the letter that your lawyer sent.

232
00:12:29,567 --> 00:12:34,300
Because that letter is demanding $30,000
from the Defendant.

233
00:12:34,367 --> 00:12:37,433
And I know that you said
that you never asked for that.

234
00:12:37,500 --> 00:12:40,834
That was what your lawyer put there
in the letter. It was a demand letter.

235
00:12:40,900 --> 00:12:43,333
Right, you saw it.
But when you saw that amount,

236
00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:48,266
$30,000, did you say to your lawyer, hey,
I don't want to take $30,000 from him?

237
00:12:48,333 --> 00:12:50,300
I know what he's gonna go through
financially.

238
00:12:50,367 --> 00:12:52,400
He's just a mom-and-pop, you know,
landlord.

239
00:12:52,467 --> 00:12:54,600
-You didn't say that to the lawyer though.
-No.

240
00:12:54,667 --> 00:12:57,934
There's no way I would've accepted $30,000
from him, and I told him that.

241
00:12:58,000 --> 00:12:59,433
We talked about that.

242
00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:03,934
We've come across a bunch of
shyster lawyers here from time to time.

243
00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,166
I'm not gonna call this one out by name,
but did this lawyer

244
00:13:07,233 --> 00:13:09,367
and this organization
that the lawyer worked for,

245
00:13:09,433 --> 00:13:13,166
were they getting a portion of
that $30,000? Like a contingency fee?

246
00:13:13,233 --> 00:13:15,266
[Tharlo]
See, that's not my personal lawyer.

247
00:13:15,333 --> 00:13:17,166
All this was going on
with a lot of people.

248
00:13:17,233 --> 00:13:20,867
I didn't even personally meet her.
They help people out like me,

249
00:13:20,934 --> 00:13:22,166
that don't know what to do.

250
00:13:22,233 --> 00:13:25,400
That's what they're there for.
My last question to you, sir.

251
00:13:25,467 --> 00:13:29,467
Why is it that you believe
this signed waiver agreement

252
00:13:29,533 --> 00:13:34,165
that you have signed with the Plaintiff
on June 1st, 2022,

253
00:13:34,233 --> 00:13:38,867
relieves you of your responsibility
to pay the 2nd half

254
00:13:38,934 --> 00:13:42,667
of the $6,755? Tell me that.

255
00:13:42,734 --> 00:13:45,567
When we had the settlement agreement,
the waived rent...

256
00:13:45,633 --> 00:13:49,033
The settlement agreement was
in March of 2022.

257
00:13:49,100 --> 00:13:53,467
-And you paid that $6,000...
-No. I didn't pay anything out of pocket.

258
00:13:53,533 --> 00:13:55,834
They counted the waived rent
as the first half.

259
00:13:55,900 --> 00:13:59,367
And they said June 1st I would have to
pay him the 2nd half, which I did.

260
00:13:59,433 --> 00:14:03,300
So, what about this document do you claim
relieves you of paying the 2nd half?

261
00:14:03,367 --> 00:14:05,867
The cashier's check shows
I paid him June 1st.

262
00:14:05,934 --> 00:14:09,934
-And that was the second half.
-And that relieved any and all claims

263
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,066
to the tenancy. So, by him signing off
on this, the Plaintiff that is,

264
00:14:14,133 --> 00:14:17,300
the tenant agrees to release all claims
related to that tenancy.

265
00:14:17,367 --> 00:14:18,233
Yes.

266
00:14:18,300 --> 00:14:19,934
And that was signed June of 2022.

267
00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,333
-Yes.
-I have nothing further.

268
00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:23,300
[Tanya]
I love my colleagues so much

269
00:14:23,367 --> 00:14:25,734
because they did such a good job
with this case.

270
00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:30,200
I feel like the three of you
are like the calculus of small claims.

271
00:14:30,266 --> 00:14:35,467
This was a lot to get through, but I
want to pick up where Judge Levy left off.

272
00:14:35,533 --> 00:14:40,233
So, Mr. Johnson, given the fact that on
June 1st you said you have no more claims,

273
00:14:40,300 --> 00:14:42,734
why are we here right now?
Tell me what I'm missing,

274
00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,000
'cause it could be something,
there's a lot going on here.

275
00:14:45,066 --> 00:14:48,867
'Cause after June 1st,
he received the COVID rent relief money.

276
00:14:48,934 --> 00:14:50,200
So?

277
00:14:50,266 --> 00:14:52,667
[narrator]
Coming up on Tribunal Justice...

278
00:14:52,734 --> 00:14:55,834
Did you receive $6,755 from them?

279
00:14:55,900 --> 00:14:56,867
Yes.

280
00:14:56,934 --> 00:15:02,066
You got free rent for October, November,
December, January, February...

281
00:15:02,133 --> 00:15:03,400
Nothing was free.

282
00:15:03,467 --> 00:15:04,467
[sighs]

283
00:15:12,767 --> 00:15:13,700
So, why are we here?

284
00:15:13,767 --> 00:15:17,166
So, he got paid on my behalf, so,
we were square.

285
00:15:17,233 --> 00:15:20,400
-Oh, he got that extra $6,755.
-[Tharlo] Yes.

286
00:15:20,467 --> 00:15:24,400
So, what the Rent Board told us
was that the first half of the payment...

287
00:15:24,467 --> 00:15:29,333
Six months rent credit
was equal to $6,755.

288
00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:35,033
And then, June 1st I paid him $6,755,
which equals $13,510 in his pocket.

289
00:15:35,100 --> 00:15:38,700
Right. You gave him six months rent credit
which was $6,755,

290
00:15:38,767 --> 00:15:41,767
-and then, you owed him $6,755 in cash.
-[Jonathan] Yes.

291
00:15:41,834 --> 00:15:43,133
-And did you pay that?
-Yes.

292
00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:44,333
[Tanya]
So, why are we here?

293
00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:48,433
I put in COVID rent relief money for him.
If he gets that money,

294
00:15:48,500 --> 00:15:49,500
and he gets paid...

295
00:15:49,567 --> 00:15:51,467
[Tanya]
This is on top of the settlement money.

296
00:15:51,533 --> 00:15:53,667
-[Tharlo] Yes.
-[Tanya] Tell me what it is.

297
00:15:53,734 --> 00:15:58,700
So, right here in this settlement, this
is where it says any rent relief granted

298
00:15:58,767 --> 00:16:03,000
will go to pay the 2nd half of
the relocation payment.

299
00:16:03,066 --> 00:16:04,867
The $6,755.

300
00:16:04,934 --> 00:16:07,800
And he got paid that on my behalf.
I've got a...

301
00:16:07,867 --> 00:16:10,433
Wait, stop. That's what you received.

302
00:16:10,500 --> 00:16:13,967
Did you receive $6,755 from them?

303
00:16:14,033 --> 00:16:14,900
Yes.

304
00:16:14,967 --> 00:16:20,500
You got that in cash. You got free rent
for October, November, December,

305
00:16:20,567 --> 00:16:22,567
-January, February...
-Nothing was free.

306
00:16:22,633 --> 00:16:27,100
[sighs] You got rental assistance
for those months

307
00:16:27,166 --> 00:16:30,200
and a $505 credit for March.

308
00:16:30,266 --> 00:16:32,800
I got rental assistance, yes.
It all went to him.

309
00:16:32,867 --> 00:16:35,000
You did not pay any rent for six months,
correct?

310
00:16:35,066 --> 00:16:37,900
Altogether... No, that's incorrect.

311
00:16:37,967 --> 00:16:41,333
I was not kidding. My colleagues took
pains to go through some of this.

312
00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,934
It's very clear. There's no reason
for it to be more confusing now.

313
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,934
So, let's just be really clear.
Paragraph three;

314
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,200
Landlord agrees to pay Tenant
the remainder of the fee

315
00:16:51,266 --> 00:16:56,233
in the amount of $6,755.
Was that done, sir?

316
00:16:56,300 --> 00:16:58,500
-I'm asking you, Mr. Johnson Plaintiff.
-Yes.

317
00:16:58,567 --> 00:17:00,834
[Tanya]
That was done. Landlord may use

318
00:17:00,900 --> 00:17:04,266
any granted COVID rent relief funds

319
00:17:04,333 --> 00:17:09,233
to satisfy the remaining one half
relocation payment owed.

320
00:17:09,300 --> 00:17:11,900
That's them. Landlord may use that.

321
00:17:11,967 --> 00:17:15,599
Failure to receive
any COVID rent relief funds

322
00:17:15,666 --> 00:17:20,133
does not excuse the payment of the 2nd
half of the permanent relocation payment

323
00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:22,733
-which you already did, correct?
-Correct.

324
00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:28,400
So, you got the $6,755.
According to the settlement

325
00:17:28,467 --> 00:17:34,066
you are also entitled to
a $505 rent credit in March.

326
00:17:34,133 --> 00:17:38,734
You were entitled to a rental relief
obligation for February, January,

327
00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:41,333
December, November, and October.
Correct?

328
00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:42,400
[Tharlo]
Correct.

329
00:17:42,467 --> 00:17:44,567
So, what more are you entitled to?

330
00:17:44,633 --> 00:17:47,900
My other half of the payment,
'cause he got paid on my behalf.

331
00:17:47,967 --> 00:17:52,700
That's what it says, Landlord may use
any granted COVID-19 rent relief...

332
00:17:52,767 --> 00:17:57,633
If he had got this money in June,
he coulda used that to pay him.

333
00:17:57,700 --> 00:18:00,133
He didn't get the money,
so he paid out of his pocket.

334
00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:01,233
Even if he got it...

335
00:18:01,300 --> 00:18:03,100
I understand.

336
00:18:03,166 --> 00:18:04,667
[Karen]
He woulda used it to pay him.

337
00:18:04,734 --> 00:18:08,033
But because he didn't get it, he pulled it
out his own pocket to pay him.

338
00:18:08,100 --> 00:18:11,467
[Tanya] Right,
you paid the money from your pocket.

339
00:18:11,533 --> 00:18:13,567
Then, when the government
gave you the money...

340
00:18:13,633 --> 00:18:14,934
-He just kept it.
-You kept it

341
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:19,000
because you'd already satisfied
the $6,755.

342
00:18:19,066 --> 00:18:21,000
-Please, I have no more questions.
-Exactly.

343
00:18:21,066 --> 00:18:22,100
No more questions.

344
00:18:22,166 --> 00:18:25,500
Thank you very much. We are now
going to deliberate this matter.

345
00:18:25,567 --> 00:18:27,734
Thank you very much, ma'am,
you can take your seat.

346
00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:30,200
Court now stands in recess.
Parties are excused.

347
00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:34,767
There were three moving parts here.
One; there was an application

348
00:18:34,834 --> 00:18:38,734
for COVID relief by the Plaintiff.
Two; there was an application

349
00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:42,734
for a relocation fee by the Plaintiff,
which the Defendant

350
00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:47,066
should have allegedly been aware of
based on, I guess, what's common knowledge

351
00:18:47,133 --> 00:18:50,567
in the San Francisco Bay Area
pursuant to the Ellis Act.

352
00:18:50,633 --> 00:18:56,633
And three, the Plaintiff recovered monies
in the amount totaling $3,024 and change

353
00:18:56,700 --> 00:18:59,600
for what he called
uninhabitable living conditions

354
00:18:59,667 --> 00:19:03,533
which they enumerated and
basically, credited him with.

355
00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:08,066
So, he remained in this property,
for other than I think four months

356
00:19:08,133 --> 00:19:11,834
out of a year and a half or two,
he paid rent for four months.

357
00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:17,667
Other than that, all of his rent monies
were covered by those awards.

358
00:19:17,734 --> 00:19:22,734
So, he is more than made whole.
The Defendant owes him nothing.

359
00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:26,100
The Defendant paid out of pocket.
Until he was reimbursed,

360
00:19:26,166 --> 00:19:29,033
he was out of pocket.
So, the bottom line here is,

361
00:19:29,100 --> 00:19:31,900
the Plaintiff has been
more than compensated by the government

362
00:19:31,967 --> 00:19:34,600
and all the agencies
he could possibly think of

363
00:19:34,667 --> 00:19:39,266
to live in this San Francisco Bay Area
off of this guy's property.

364
00:19:39,333 --> 00:19:40,333
I agree.

365
00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:41,266
Me, too.

366
00:19:41,333 --> 00:19:42,700
Excellent!

367
00:19:45,533 --> 00:19:49,066
Court is back in session. Parties
are reminded you're still under oath.

368
00:19:49,133 --> 00:19:51,300
Thank you, Byrd. Okay,
I told you when we started

369
00:19:51,367 --> 00:19:54,667
that you have all these government
agencies, it's gonna be complicated.

370
00:19:54,734 --> 00:19:58,133
I don't think that anybody here,
and I think we all agree on this,

371
00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:01,700
acted in bad faith or maliciously,
I think it's confusing.

372
00:20:01,767 --> 00:20:05,633
I mean, it was confusing to us, so,
it has to be confusing to the layperson.

373
00:20:05,700 --> 00:20:10,800
So, the bottom line here is,
you lived in the Defendant's home

374
00:20:10,867 --> 00:20:16,133
from April of 2020 until June 1st of 2022.

375
00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:21,967
And in all of that time, you paid rent,
out of your own pocket,

376
00:20:22,033 --> 00:20:25,633
for four months. At that point,
there was a point during COVID

377
00:20:25,700 --> 00:20:30,000
that you began to get COVID relief.
So you applied to three agencies.

378
00:20:30,066 --> 00:20:35,667
COVID funds, you requested that you
be reimbursed relocation fee money,

379
00:20:35,734 --> 00:20:39,033
in violation of the Ellis Act and
you also applied for

380
00:20:39,100 --> 00:20:43,133
breach of warranty of habitability and
you were reimbursed funds.

381
00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:47,533
Through all of that, those three agencies,
you recovered monies

382
00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:53,233
which enabled you to basically live in
his home without reaching into your pocket

383
00:20:53,300 --> 00:20:57,867
during that specific period of time.
You were fully compensated.

384
00:20:57,934 --> 00:21:02,066
You got the $13,000 and change
for the relocation.

385
00:21:02,133 --> 00:21:08,133
You got $3,024 for uninhabitability and
you received COVID monies for rent.

386
00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:11,367
You actually had to reach into your pocket
at some point.

387
00:21:11,433 --> 00:21:17,200
You do not, we all agree,
owe the Plaintiff, Mr. Tharlo Johnson,

388
00:21:17,266 --> 00:21:21,333
any money. Sir, you have been
more than compensated.

389
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:26,367
So, the verdict of the court is
to dismiss your complaint in its entirety.

390
00:21:26,433 --> 00:21:27,633
Thank you both.

391
00:21:27,700 --> 00:21:30,934
This case is now concluded.
Parties are excused, you may step out.

392
00:21:33,100 --> 00:21:34,266
It is what it is.

393
00:21:34,333 --> 00:21:36,367
I'm more than happy.
Justice prevailed today.

394
00:21:36,433 --> 00:21:37,333
He owes me some money.

395
00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:39,800
He's money-hungry, man.
Like they said,

396
00:21:39,867 --> 00:21:45,033
he got about $16,000 and
he want another $6,000, so.

397
00:21:45,100 --> 00:21:49,133
That was our agreement. It is what it is.
He won, I'm happy for him.

398
00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:54,200
It set me back, I almost lost everything.
I was able to keep my head above water.

399
00:21:54,266 --> 00:21:56,700
I was never trying to throw his name
through the dirt.

400
00:21:56,767 --> 00:21:59,500
I was just trying to go for
what I thought I was owed, that's all.

401
00:21:59,567 --> 00:22:02,233
Watch out who you rent to.
Really, really vet people.

402
00:22:03,166 --> 00:22:08,066
[narrator] Need to take someone to court?
Let Tribunal Justice decide your case.

403
00:22:08,133 --> 00:22:11,066
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