Housing and Consumer Law Clinic

Although numbers may not do justice to the human dimension of clients' stories, they are often a significant measure of students' zeal. At the final class of the fall 2001 semester, Prof. Ed Allen awarded a "Full Court Press Award" to the five students in the Housing and Consumer Law Clinic -Tamala Earle, 3L, Janell Forgy, 3L, Richard Hallock, 3L, Askia Johnson, 3L, and Douglas Stringer, 3L - for the following litigation activities performed:

• Students represented clients at some 30 court appearances, administrative hearings, or motions arguments. Several of these were lengthy, involving direct and cross examination; one lasted three days.
• Students filed nine answers to civil complaints on behalf of their clients.
• Students filed two motions for summary judgment or dismissal and prevailed on both. A third student brought an oral motion for failure to prosecute, which the court also granted.
• Students brought four motions for default judgments.
• A student filed and prevailed on a motion for a preliminary injunction, restoring heat, a stove, and smoke detectors. The same student filed a pending contempt motion for failure of the opposing party to adhere to the court's order. Students prepared three other temporary restraining orders which they will file at the appropriate time.
• Students filed three motions for discovery sanctions, two of which the court granted.
• Students conducted two depositions.
• Students preserved housing or garnered substantial rent abatements in all but one of their cases. In one case, a student assisted a client who successfully purchased her home.
• The rent administrator awarded more than $10,000 in attorney's fees to the clinic for its representation of two clients, who also received substantial damage awards.