The lawsuit, City v. Nahid Jahanbin et al., alleged the defendants engaged in a campaign of harassment against a family of four
A Santa Monica landlord and her son have been ordered to pay $450,000 and are barred from managing residential properties in the city after a lawsuit accused them of harassing long-term tenants in an effort to force them out of their rent-controlled home, the city of Santa Monica announced in a release.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein approved a stipulated judgment and injunction against Nahid Jahanbin and her son, who acted as her agent and property manager, the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
The lawsuit, City v. Nahid Jahanbin et al., alleged the defendants engaged in a campaign of harassment against a family of four, including two young children.
According to the city, Jahanbin and her son attempted to evict the family four times without legal basis, shut off their utilities, filmed them without consent, unlawfully entered their unit, removed parking and laundry amenities, and used fraud and intimidation to pressure them to move out.
The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles successfully defended the tenants in the eviction cases, and the family later filed a separate lawsuit represented by the law firm Trygstad, Schwab & Trygstad.
As part of the settlement, Jahanbin and her son agreed to pay $450,000, with a portion allocated to support the city’s housing protection efforts. They are also prohibited from managing any residential rental properties in Santa Monica and must hire a city-approved third-party property manager for any properties they own.
Additionally, they are required to attend a city-approved landlord-tenant training and will face a minimum penalty of $10,000 per violation if they breach the agreement.