A Superior Court judge this month found the City of Hartford in civil contempt for violating a 30-year-old settlement requiring it to provide relocation assistance and payments to tenants displaced by code enforcement actions, according to Greater Hartford Legal Aid, which represented the tenants.
Court documents show that the court ordered hearings on relief and damages for the plaintiffs to begin in November.
The city has agreed to accept retroactive applications from tenants displaced by city code enforcement activities since April 10, 2012.
GHLA attorneys said that 850 households were ordered vacated between 2010 and Aug. 2013. Of that number, only 100 received any assistance — typically several days in a motel. Often times, officials did not notify displaced tenants that they were eligible for moving and storage expenses and rental assistance payments.
Landlords who own properties found unfit for occupancy are required to reimburse the city for relocation costs.
The Oct. 10 decision stems from a 1984 class action suit negotiated by GLHA attorney David Pels. Last year, Pels and his colleagues brought a contempt motion to enforce the agreement.
