Case Against Portland's Tenant Protection Law Back To State Court

A federal judge in Portland has ruled that a challenge to the city's new tenant-protection law is not a federal issue and sent the case back to state court. A lawyer for the city had argued that since the challenge had brought up the U.S. Constitution and federal law, the case belonged in federal court.

Federal Judge Michael Simon disagreed.

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Landlords, represented by lawyer John DiLorenzo, filed the challenge to a newly-passed on emergency ordinance that requires them to pay between $2,900 and $4,500 to tenants whose have to move because they were evicted without cause or their rents were raised more than ten percent in one year.

They had filed the case in state court but the city tried to move it to federal court. It will now end up back in state court - most likely by Thursday.

The ordinance was introduced by Chloe Eudaly, who just took office in January. She has said she expects the ordinance to survive legal challenges.

Photo of Portland Federal Court - Colin Miner