From time to time, it's good to go to landlord-tenant court to see how "judges" rule.

I went this week, sat down and listened.

The judge was 45 mins late. From the get go she complained about the case load (there were 12 cases scheduled for the morning session).

All but one case were old cases, with endless postponements and delays (kick the can to let tenants live rent free),

In one case, tenant hasn't paid rent in 8 months, the LL, a disabled elderly lady begged the judge with tears to end her misery, but the judge gave the tenant another delay and ordered them to come back in 3 weeks. This time, the judge was concerned about the tenant's baby.

A quick search on this judge: she was appointed by Jerry Brown after serving 10 years as a clerk at the 9th circuit in SF. Enough said.

None of the 12 cases were resolved. In one case the judge said: I must rule on this one right now, it's been so long...and a minute later she said: actually I will rule on Friday...

Listen LLs, courts are turning away from facts and rule by emotions following their agenda - redistribution of income!

Which is why a landlord not only has to consider what the law actually says but how a judge is going to look at a case in their area.

The good judges aren't going to be assigned to landlord court. That's an undesirable low level judge job. In some areas, you don't even see a judge, you see a civilian arbitrator who may not have any idea what the law actually is.

years ago in Housing Court after first meeting unsuccessfully with the required arbitrator we appeared before the judge. It was a simple non payment eviction with me wanting my money & possession and the tenant wanting to stay another month rent free. After listening to the tenant plead for compassion, the judge turned to me & asked if I would allow them to stay another 2 weeks. Instead of agreeing to 2 more weeks, I offered to let them stay another month if the Judge would agree to one condition. All I wanted, to let them live another month rent free in my apartment was for the Judge to pay 1/2 of their month's rent. Unfortunately for my tenant the Judge wasn't as generous with his own money as he was willing to be with mine. Fortunately for me I had helped set up this court & knew the Judge very well. He granted me possession as well as past due rent & court fees.

Two weeks later when I was having breakfast with the Judge, he sarcastically thanked me for pointing him on the spot. As Brad 20,000 like to say "you got to know your Judge".

Gee, that's so surprising. Moshe is always saying how the judges just base their decisions on the law, not emotion.

When my tenant did not pay his rent the judge told me that my tenant was confused. That was the ruling????

What Moshe is always saying is, always demand a real JUDGE, not a judge pro-tem, not even a commissioner. You don't have to file any formal motion, just tell the clerk that you want a judge. Its your right, and the clerk will reassign you to a real judge's courtroom.

In Los Angeles Kangaroo Courts if a Landlord asks for a "real Judge", they will be treated poorly. The landlord will have to wait until a "real judge" is completed his daily calendar of cases. And your eviction attorney will CHARGE FOR THE EXTRA WAIT TIME.

It's 2019, and these days, mom and pop LLs are being bulldozed by leftist judges. If you own, pick a number, 250 units/homes OR LESS, judges in states like CA and MA will walk all over you.

You think they can do this to Mega owners who have insurance companies, pension funds and REITs behind them? I doubt that.

They will pick a fight with mom and pop owners, who have limited backing and funds for lengthy judicial journeys.

BTW, the court house is on Sylmar Ave, Van Nuys, CA, 8th floor, Dept H.

My 4 hour experience in a suburban court was useless, should have told the owner to burn the house down to get them out.

Being a judge in a LL court would have to be the most boring job on earth. Listening to countless tenants constantly making up total B.S. about why they did not pay rent that month. And just one right after another, all day long. Most of the judges in my county get paid about $75K a year, so I guess it is the money that keeps them coming back for more of the same ole routine day in and day out.

WL,

For the life of me I'll never understand how a LL could think like a Socialist when it comes to electing their politicians. It must feel like slapping yourself in the face.

Well... +100 points for Missouri's legal system. We get 'real' judges automatically. No need to demand anything else. Perhaps the pro-tem judge / commissioner thing is part of sophisticated legal system of Cali that I have heard so much about in the past. So far, based on the testimony of this and other CA LLs, I prefer our backwoods country ways.

This is why I love AZ. We don't need no lousy judges! We got a desert, and a shovel. :D

Fred, thank you for sharing. What a lousy judge.

6x6 - a LOT! We've found several sets of remains so far this year. Our county currently has 84 unsolved murders, highest per capita in the state. We joke about burying bodies in the desert, but people really DO it out here.

Others expire from exposure. We had a lady two years ago just dissapear. Her car was abandoned broken on a road near "Earp" across the river in CA. (Yes home of Wyatt Earp, he had some claims here in the early 1900's.) Six months later her body was discovered by a road crew in some bushs within sight of where her car was. She apparently just keeled over into the bushes and nobody found her in the original search. They thought she'd been abducted but the heat got her that quick!

"We've found several sets of remains so far this year. Our county currently has 84 unsolved murders, highest per capita in the state."

Fred, my quick serge of Uhrig's background shows that your bio was not enough said.

She has B.A. from an ivy league school (Penn, History & Economics, 1987), and law degree from Stanford ,1991. She was personal law clerk to Hon. Harry Pregerson, on the 9th Circuit of the Federal APPELLATE Court, not Federal District Court. She was not a clerk of the court, but personal research clerk to Pregerson, a very distinguished jurist, who has written many, many important decisions.

She was an Associate at Hogan and Hartson for 3 years

(Hogan & Hartson, now Hogan Levells, is one of the most prominent international law firms in the world, with 2800 attorneys in 40 offices in the United States, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia and with gross revenues exceeding US$2 billion in 2017). Then, she worked for US Department of Justice for 11 years, including 5 years as staff attorney for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Those are all prestigious positions. Only the best and brightest get them.

She has written several important papers in law journals, including some that have been cited in important cases, including internationally, and for the last 5 years, she has been Professor of Law at McGeorge College of Law (University of the Pacific).

Quite a distinguished background.

She was appointed Superior Court judge in June, 2018, thus serving as Superior Court Judge for less than a year (May 2019).

All that doesn't mean that she is good at hearing eviction cases on assembly-line basis. But she is new and needs to learn the ropes. I notice that, except for yours, she has no complaints from the attorneys who appear before her. Her specialty was criminal law, so maybe eviction cases are new for her. Plus, judges in Los Angeles County rotate in their assignments, so that all judges get experience in all matters. Maybe. I don't really know anything about her.

I think that I will keep an eye on her. Maybe I will go for half a day and sit in her courtroom, as you did, just to see what she is really like, Feel free to join me, if you like.

Danno [IL], I bet you weren't on a first name basis with your judge, have never gone to breakfast with him, given him a ride home during a blizzard in your 4WD truck, had drinks with him at the local VFW or had the ability to rat him out to his Mom. (g) As Brad says "you've got to know your judge".

i agree completely that watching OTHER landlords get hammered in court is WISE practice.

in calif on an eviction the court is not small claims and you can bring a lawyer AND YOU SHOULD. they know the game and the lazy judges know that they can't peddle their agenda BS. be SURE the lawyer you bring is an eviction specialist. a recent eviction i had went VERY well and the judge was held to the law by the attorney. the sheriff on the other hand CHOSE to ignore my writ for possession they received on 12/6 until AFTER the Xmas and new year holiday...THEY TOLD ME THEY DON'T TOSS PEOPLE AT CHRISTMAS TIME.

DAMAGES and deposit items are small claims and are easy as well. photos and receipts TIMELY delivered will more often than not suffice. a real judge is advised.

now hear this...every letter or memo a tenant gets is written for the next guy who might read it...ALWAYS BE SURE TO INCLUDE SOME REPAIRS AT NO CHARGE ON YOUR ACCOUNTING'S SO THE LAWYER OR JUDGE OR COMMISSIONER KNOWS YOU ARE ACCEPTING OF WEAR AND TEAR. take photos