DA Files Historic Consumer Protection Lawsuit Against Bucks Co. Slumlord

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Bucks County District Attorney's Office on Monday filed a civil enforcement action against a landlord for allegedly demanding rent from tenants subjected to an uninhabitable residential building in Dublin Borough.

The action centers on a property located at 113 S. Main Street, Dublin, where six tenants were evicted on April 13, 2026, when the building was condemned due to life-threatening conditions.

Dublin Borough Police Chief Michael Regan described the conditions as "the worst cases of squalor and hoarding I've seen in my 45 years in law enforcement."

The complaint, filed in the Court of Common Pleas, names Richard Goetter, Ronald Goetter, and their fictitious business entity, R & R Enterprises, as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants operated a business model that profited by forcing vulnerable, low-income tenants to choose between staying in unsafe housing or facing homelessness.

Records indicate that the building has been plagued by severe code violations and a lack of essential services for over a decade. Most notably, reports documenting fire hazards and lack of heat date back as far as April 2013, the DA's office said.

Recent inspections by Dublin Borough Code Enforcement revealed structural hazards, a lack of functional smoke detectors, and blocked or inaccessible emergency exits. The severity of these code violations and the landlord’s failure to remedy the conditions led to the entire building being condemned.

This marks the first time the DA’s Office has utilized the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law to hold a landlord accountable for deceptive and unfair housing practices and appears to be the first action of its kind by a district attorney’s office in PA.

“Today marks a major step towards fulfilling our longstanding promise to be a ‘law office of the people,’” said Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan. “Tenants have a legal right to basic safety, and our office will stand up to seek justice for those who have been mistreated, especially victims who are elderly, disabled, or otherwise vulnerable to exploitation.”

The investigation found that the building has lacked working heat for years, forcing tenants to rely on their own portable electric heaters plugged into unreliable electrical wiring that created fire hazards.

"Ripping off our most vulnerable neighbors is against the law in any season,” said Khan. “Cheating them out of heat during a Code Blue Winter is a threat to public safety."

Detectives inspected the building and found black mold in the community bathroom, a large piece of plywood covering a hole in the floor of one of the bathrooms, rodent and cockroach infestations, and the overwhelming odor of human waste.

The eight-bedroom building only had one functioning bathroom at the time of the complaint.

“While I have seen some single-family residences with these types of conditions, this situation was unique in that multiple people were paying rent to live there and felt that, despite the conditions, they had no choice but to stay as the next step was to live on the streets. It was a tragedy waiting to happen,” and Chief Regan.

“I appreciate all the assistance from the Bucks County District Attorney's Office and from the other county agencies that assisted, especially the Bucks County Mental Health Co-responders,” said the chief.

According to the DA's office, Bucks County Human Services Division and members of the Co-Responder Program secured housing for the tenants who were forced to leave after the building was deemed unsafe and condemned.

“This case is a stellar example of the Human Services Co-Responders Program in action. It is emblematic of the outstanding work the co-responders are doing every day alongside our partners in law enforcement,” said Commissioner Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia. “We commend DA Joe Khan for seeking accountability for the residents allegedly exploited in this case, and we applaud the work of the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, the Dublin Borough Police Department, the Bucks County Hoarding Task Force and all of the agencies and individuals who came together to assist the vulnerable people displaced when the building they called home was condemned.”

The District Attorney’s Office believes there may be additional tenants who were subjected to these unfair and unsafe living conditions. Anyone who has previously rented a room at 113 S. Main Street and believes they are a victim of these practices is encouraged to contact the District Attorney’s Office.

The District Attorney’s Office is seeking a permanent injunction, restitution for the victims, and civil penalties. Because several affected tenants are over the age of sixty, the defendants may face enhanced civil penalties of up to $3,000 per violation.

“For far too long, the tenants of 113 Main Street were subjected to absolutely abhorrent living conditions,” Dublin Borough Council President Tim Hayes said. “I am glad to hear District Attorney Khan is pursuing this case to hold the property owner accountable and provide restitution for the former tenants. This will send a clear message: the responsibility you assume as a landlord does not end when living conditions deteriorate to the point of legal action. Safe housing is not optional, it's the expectation. Our neighbors deserve nothing less, and if those standards are not met, we will act.”

“It is my hope that this case brought on by District Attorney Khan sets the precedent for law enforcement officials across Pennsylvania when it comes to protecting renters,” Hayes said. “I thank everyone involved in this matter, from the District Attorney and his team to the Bucks County Mental Health Co-Responders, to Dublin Borough Police Department and our municipal staff.”