Local Law Firm Offers Help to Evicted Tenants

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Story Published: Aug 7, 2008 at 10:17 PM MST

Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 12:20 AM MST

By Mary Sturgill

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AMMON - Monday we brought you the story of the four families who are being evicted from their four-plex in Ammon because the owner went into foreclosure. The tenants got the eviction while Channel 3 Eyewitness News was visiting them on Monday afternoon. One of the problems with it is that it only gave them 15 days to get out and under Idaho law, they should have 30 days. So I took action for them. This week I called five local attorneys hoping to find some kind of help for the tenants at 1602 N. Stevens. No one would talk about the case, until today. Nathan Olsen with Beard, St. Clair in Idaho Falls took a look at the eviction letter each tenant received. "In Idaho, my interpretation with this situation is they would at least need at least 30 days notice." Remember this letter only gave them 15 days notice. Olsen says, "If the other side were to bring an action, if they were to file a lawsuit based on this notice I think the chances are, when they get to a hearing that a judge will probably toss it out and they'll have to start all over again."

I convinced Nathan to call the Pite Duncan LLP in California who represents the bank to see if they knew everything about the situation. So he did. After being transferred a couple of times, Nathan had to leave a message. When he got a call back from the California attorney, they said they knew exactly what they were doing. This is the way GMAC had them deal with all of their properties. They evict everyone and start all over, despite who paid up their bills and who hasn't.

After hearing that Nathan Olsen and his firm, agreed to take this case pro-bono if the tenants wanted to take action to protect themselves. I delivered that news this evening. Unfortunately I was too late for Michelle Nelson and her husband who say, "When it comes down to it, I guess they more or less accomplished what they wanted to. They got two of us out within a couple of weeks. So it's unfortunate."

Two tenants have already found another place to live, but the offer still stands for the other two who were not home tonight when I stopped by. Last minute tonight we understand that there might be some local investors who could be interested in the property. We will definitely keep you posted on that.
If you ever find yourself in a similar situation. Consult an attorney. You may have options you didn't know about.

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