There is a severe power imbalance in Philadelphia between tenants and their landlords– 91% of tenants face evictions without lawyers. To combat this issue, we protect tenants against unethical or illegal practices by landlords and their agents through class action cases, individual cases, and municipal court hearings. Through these cases, we hope that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and federal laws will be more thoroughly enforced, and we hope to advance case law in this area.
Support for this project is also provided by the Independence Foundation Fellowship. Currently funded by this fellowship, George Donnelly joined the Law Center in September of 2017 as a Penn Law Postgraduate Fellow funded by the Langer, Grogran & Driver Fellowship in Social Justice. He represents tenants in municipal court and works to bring cases that advance case law in order to strengthen tenant rights and protections.
Staff attorney Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg contributes to this project in his work defending tenants against unethical or illegal practices by landlords and their agents. Part of his work is supported by the McDowell Foundation.
Project Updates
November 2018
Low-income Philadelphia couple forced to flee squalid conditions sue ABC Capital, one of the city's largest landlords
October 2018
Eviction is a cause of poverty: Our client lost his home and his livelihood in an illegal lockout.
May 2018
Law Center Announces New Tactix Tenant Advocacy Project
May 2018
Fighting for Tenants in Landlord-Tenant Court - Gerrell Martin v. Levy Law
December 2017
Case Settled Against a Landlord for $35,000
September 2017
Ending Exploitative Eviction Practices by Collection Lawyers
More information about Mr. Donnelly’s landlord-tenant municipal court cases can be found here:
Municipal Court Updates
