OLC represents landlord regarding a motion to halt sale of former tenant's seized vehicle to pay rent debt.
For Immediate Release | Mar 07, 2011
https://olcplc.com/public/media?1299509333
Outside Legal Counsel PLC has recently represented a Saginaw, Michigan property-owner with a minor legal issue but a difficult media situation.
The long-time property-owner, a relative of OLC attorney Philip L. Ellison, had rented housing to a tenant-a common aspect of the business. After months of being behind in the rent and not being paid any rent monies for nearly four months, the landlord evicted the tenant and secured a money judgment. The landlord was forced to collect on the judgment by seeking an order from the Saginaw courts after the judgment went unpaid for nearly seven months.
After court officers detained the tenant's vehicle for auction, the tenant went to the media claiming he needed his vehicle back to go to his part-time job. He also filed an unspecified motion seeking his vehicle back without having to make any payment. The local newspaper fully covered the tenant's claimed story as well as covered the play-by-play of the courtroom activities. One of the posted stories made the top five most commented articles of the week.
The landlord sought OLC’s help a mere fifteen hours before the scheduled hearing.
OLC went right to work researching the media stories, the relevant law, and investigating the claimed facts of the tenant's story. OLC also helped the client craft an appropriate press statement containing critical facts.
The result: the landlord's legal claims were upheld, the vehicle was allowed to be sold, the tenant's story was debunked, and the press did a follow-up story regarding the real facts which vindicated the landlord's proper business practices.
A copy of the press stories are below.
The auction of a disabled Saginaw man's SUV to repay a rent debt will proceed This article was written following the issuance of the press statement
To be continued: Saginaw County judge adjourns decision regarding auction of disabled man's seized SUV to repay debt
Relinked in the Jackson Citizen Patriot
From the Comments: Landlord seized disabled Saginaw man's vehicle for unpaid rent
Disabled Saginaw man shocked when sheriff's deputies seize his 1998 Chevy Blazer to auction off as payment for man's past due rent
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