Paso Robles tenants endured bedbugs, sewage backups and more. Now they’re getting $4 million
A group of Paso Robles tenants who sued their then-landlords over slum-like conditions at their apartment complex will receive a $4 million settlement, their attorneys said.
Renters at Grand View Apartments — a 54-unit housing complex on Spring Street — filed a class action lawsuit in San Luis Obispo Superior Court in May 2019, with help from Stephanie Barclay of the San Luis Obispo Legal Assistance Foundation (SLOLAF) and Allen Hutkin of Hutkin Law Firm.
For years, more than 200 Grand View tenants endured bedbug and cockroach infestations, sewage backups, mold and ceiling holes, among other substandard conditions.
A Tribune investigation found Paso Robles code enforcement inspectors visited the complex years before renters filed their lawsuit, but the city failed to ensure Grand View’s landlords sufficiently fixed problems or adhered to California health and safety codes that govern rental housing.
Many Grand View tenants identified as Hispanic or Latino, primarily spoke Spanish or languages indigenous to regions of Mexico and worked low-wage jobs in the agriculture and hospitality industries.
They also struggled to find places to live in a tight North County housing market, making them particularly vulnerable to landlord abuse.
Conditions at the Grand View complex were so bad that a judge ruled tenants didn’t have to pay rent after they filed their lawsuit.
But Grand View’s owners eventually opted to take the apartments off the market rather than make $2.5 million in repairs, meaning the tenants had to move out and find new housing on short notice.
A new owner purchased Grand View for $7.7 million in June 2020 and completely renovated the complex. New tenants already occupy apartments at the complex, now named Vista Robles.
Grand View apartment tenants can claim settlement funds
Although the original Grand View renters were forced to leave their homes, Barclay and Hutkin, along with attorney Jude Basile, moved forward with the lawsuit to pursue compensation for former tenants.
A Superior Court judge is set to approve the $4 million settlement at a Dec. 15 hearing, a SLOLAF news release said.
Former Grand View tenants will need to submit claims to receive settlement funds, which will be awarded using a formula that takes into account their length of residency from May 2015 to February 2020, the release said.
Tenants who suffered the most severe health issues or property loss due to poor conditions in their apartments can apply for more funds.
“We can’t undo the harm that the tenants of Grand View Apartments suffered, but we are very happy that they will receive some compensation for their suffering and property losses,” Barclay said. “We hope this case sends a loud clear message to other residential property owners that they need to provide clean, safe, habitable housing for their tenants.”
Former Grand View tenants can contact the Hutkin Law Firm at 805-544-1500.
Attorneys will meet with former tenants to help fill out claim forms in Paso Robles at Downtown City Park near the gazebo on Sunday, Sept. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m.
This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 7:20 PM.
