Court of Appeal Says California Must Replace Electronically Stolen Food Benefits
Decision reverses lower court ruling; says Department of Social Services is responsible for replacing food benefits stolen from Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card holders Los Angeles, CA — The California Court of Appeal has ruled that the Department of Social Services must replace CalFresh benefits (formerly “food stamps”) when they are electronically stolen from recipients. […]
Judge Orders City of Los Angeles to Stop Seizing and Destroying Unhoused Residents’ Large Personal Items
LOS ANGELES, April 13, 2020 — In a victory for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, today, a judge ordered the City of Los Angeles to stop enforcing a provision of a city ordinance that allowed the City to seize and immediately destroy homeless people’s belongings, based solely on the size of the item. The Court found that the […]
Tenant Sues Santa Monica Landlord to Stay in Her Home of 38 Years
MEDIA CONTACT Sara Williams, (323) 801-7996, sjwilliams@lafla.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 3, 2020 Tenant Sues Santa Monica Landlord to Stay in Her Home of 38 Years Suit alleges source-of-income discrimination and tenant harassment; landlord refuses to accept rent subsidy LOS ANGELES – A 72-year-old woman with disabilities who has lived in the same Santa Monica […]
L.A. Man Sues City After Car Towed and Sold Over Two Parking Tickets
Car Auctioned Despite Man’s Participation in Community Assistance Parking Program LOS ANGELES, October 17, 2019 — A person experiencing homelessness, Joseph Safuto, has sued the City of Los Angeles, challenging the city’s practice of towing vehicles as a mechanism for collecting debt – in this case two unpaid parking tickets that resulted in a lapsed […]
Immigration Advocates Sue U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for Systematic Delay in Processing U Visa Applications
LOS ANGELES, October 4, 2019 — A group of survivors of violent crimes including rape, sexual assault, and domestic abuse sued the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today, for failing to process their U visa and employment authorization applications in a timely manner—violating the bureau’s obligation under federal law. The Legal Aid Foundation of […]
Homeless Individuals and Advocates File Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutional Treatment of People’s Belongings and the Ordinance Used to Justify It
LOS ANGELES, July 18, 2019 — Seven unhoused residents, living in Los Angeles neighborhoods from Van Nuys to Harbor City, along with two community organizations, filed a lawsuit today against the City of Los Angeles to challenge the constitutionality of Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 56.11, which the City has used to justify the ongoing […]
Victory for Low-Income Tenants Facing Eviction After Building’s Affordability Covenant Expired
Chinatown Property Owner Reaches Agreement with City of Los Angeles to Keep Rents Affordable for 10 More Years LOS ANGELES, July 8, 2019 — A tentative agreement between the City of Los Angeles and the property owner of the Hillside Villa apartments will extend the building’s affordability covenant for another 10 years, with zero rent […]
Housing Advocates File Lawsuit Against Property Owner Threatening Eviction By July 31
Chinatown tenants move to protect their affordable housing; landlord attempts to evict more than 50 households and avoid state notice requirements LOS ANGELES, June 18, 2019 — Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), National Housing Law Project (NHLP), and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of a group of low-income […]
Lawsuit Challenges U.S. Departments of Education and Justice Over Illegal Denials of Federal Loan Consolidations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan. 30, 2019: Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) filed a lawsuit in federal district court this week against the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of a former student of a now-defunct for-profit college. The lawsuit challenges a longstanding policy that prevents borrowers […]
Attorney Jim Burgess Named President of Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles’ Board of Directors
The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, the leading frontline law firm for low-income people in Los Angeles, announces the appointment of Jim Burgess of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP to serve as president of the Board of Directors. The two-year appointment took effect July 1. “Jim brings a breadth of talent and dedication […]