George and Sandy lived in an RV park where the septic system frequently backed up. Their landlord failed to adequately fix this, despite knowing for years about the chronic problems with the septic system. After raw sewage continued leaking into the space they were renting for their RV, George and Sandy decided to stand up for their rights and approached their local legal aid office for help. Legal aid attorneys filed a lawsuit against their landlord with the help of legal aid’s State Support Unit. After lengthy discovery, expert testimony, and a two-day bench trial, George and Sandy were awarded significant compensation and the judge affirmed that “no one should have to live like this.” Despite success at trial, George and Sandy’s landlord did not pay them what the judge ordered, and instead transferred property and filed for bankruptcy to avoid the collection of the judgment. Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Oregon Law Center continued to represent George and Sandy through an appeal and a fraudulent transfer case, where they alleged the Landlord fraudulently transferred property to keep from paying them what the judge said they were owed. After almost three long years of litigation, George and Sandy reached a settlement and are finally on their way to housing stability.
