The city of Morrow and housing startup PadSplit will have to wait until Oct. 13 to resume their battle over 22 renters’ evictions from three homes managed by the company, Clayton County Superior Court Judge Jewel Scott decided Tuesday.
That was after a contentious hearing had dragged on for nearly four hours in the case over PadSplit’s allegation that the city acted unconstitutionally when it suddenly displaced the 22 low-income renters from the shared homes without notice in August.
The Morrow Fire Department on Aug. 17 abruptly conducted an emergency evacuation of the renters, told them their homes had been deemed uninhabitable, and boarded the properties up. After the city paid to put them up in a motel for two nights, the 22 uprooted tenants were on their own. Some lost their jobs and became homeless.
PadSplit sued on Aug. 21. Scott immediately issued a temporary restraining order against Morrow, ordering the city to allow residents to move back into the three properties. She also ordered the city to remove the wooden boards and fix the pried-open doors.
The city of Morrow’s attorneys kicked off the Oct. 3 hearing over extending the restraining order by complaining that the judge lacked jurisdiction over the case because PadSplit’s legal team failed to properly notify the city that the housing startup had filed suit.
Scott promptly shot that idea down, saying the “very presence” of the city’s lawyers in court implied that Morrow had been adequately notified of the lawsuit. (After the hearing, she ordered Morrow’s city manager to take official receipt of PadSplit’s lawsuit by the end of the week.)
PadSplit’s lawyer, Michael Caplan of Caplan Cobb, called it ironic that Morrow’s attorneys were so concerned with due process, when PadSplit’s lawsuit was prompted by a barrage of evictions that he said were conducted without proper notice.
Illegal boarding houses?
The Clayton Superior Court case stems from a separate feud between the city and PadSplit over the legality of crowding so many unrelated renters into what were built as single-family homes. The three homes PadSplit manages in Morrow are located in residential areas on Navaho Trail, Oxford Drive, and Patricia Drive.
“These three buildings are a threat to health and safety,” said the city’s lawyer, Michael Huening, at the Oct. 3 hearing. He called PadSplit “predatory” for renting out small rooms to low-income people in houses that are “akin to a motel,” noting the company’s short-term lease agreements allow it to boot residents for nonpayment of rent without having to file for an eviction in court.
By last April, the city had filed 18 code violation notices against the three properties in Morrow Municipal Court, claiming that the housing startup was running illegal boarding houses and skirting occupancy taxes.
On Aug. 22, the municipal court ruled in favor of the city on the citations, but PadSplit has appealed.
Morrow also alleged that the homes flouted the zoning code, saying they’d been modified without proper permitting to turn three- or four-bedroom structures into dwellings with eight or 10 bedrooms apiece.
“The reason for permitting is to ensure that when somebody goes to build something in their house it’s done up to code, so it doesn’t collapse later and cause damage to human beings,” Huening said at the hearing.
Morrow Fire Marshal William Piper testified that PadSplit’s three houses posed an “imminent threat” to their inhabitants—or, at least, the potential for one. But he admitted that the 22 tenants received no formal warning before the fire department pried open their bedroom doors and evacuated them.
PadSplit’s lawyer, Caplan, contended that if the city really cared about these people’s health and safety, it wouldn’t have put them out on the street.
What’s more, he said, the dispute in Clayton Superior Court wasn’t about zoning and permitting; PadSplit and the city are battling over that in municipal court. Instead, the question at hand was whether Morrow violated 22 people’s rights to housing and due process.
“Whether we’re right or wrong on the zoning issues, that has nothing to do with this,” Caplan said, later adding, “We don’t want to give the government power to go into people’s houses and kick them out.”
Caplan said Morrow had also failed to comply with the Aug. 21 temporary restraining order, because there were still wooden boards on windows and damaged doors from the fire department’s Aug. 17 evictions. The city’s actions caused over $6,000 in damage to the properties, he added.
Huening, the city’s lawyer, disputed that, saying PadSplit couldn’t demonstrate the damage was from the city’s emergency evacuations.
Piper, the fire marshal, subsequently testified that it was easy to crack the doors open with a pry bar, which could be evidence of shoddy and unsafe craftsmanship. “They were falling apart very easily,” he said.
The hearing over the allegedly unlawful evictions and disputed home repairs will continue Oct. 13 in Clayton Superior Court.
This sounds like unconscionable behavior on the part of the City of Morrow.
Shame on them.
Oh how the boy cried wolf. Its no fun when the rabbit got the gun. How can they even complain about anything. They are the worse slumlords in the world. I have took Padspilt to court in Fulton county and won in August and they still have not paid the settlement. When the shoe on the other foot you want to complain. The practices and the way you treat your tenants is uniformity in all your rental practices. Then you have the audacity to sue somebody for the same crap you were getting away with for many years. You have been illegally evicting tenants since you open your doors. Whenever Padspilt do business at, they should be investigated and the houses that they rent out. For many are unsafe. People have been assaulted, shot and threatened in their rental properties. Not counting drug abuse and drug dealers, and other illegal activities. Its about time they get dealt with. Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnet and any other places Padspilt do business should do a thorough investigation on Padspilt. NOW PAY MY MONEY YOU OWE ME PADSPILT FOR LOSING IN COURT FOR FOR INHABITABLE LIVING CONDITIONS. FULTON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT. TODD GRIFFIN VS. PADSPILT.
If anyone has an attorney who is helping them with a case, please let me know who they are.
Todd, you sound like a bit of person because either you didn’t get your money from pads. Flat, an each pad split should not be in bestigated because it is a great way to contour the housing crisis and Atlanta today. So one bitter sweet issue does not constant toot the rath Of all padsplits. You’re being salty because of your personal situations. Pets split is a wonderful housing curve four the crisis we’re in. Drug danger and harm happens in just about any house. Whether it’s a patch play or not. So that makes no sense to say. Just and pats place that people are assaulted. People are assaulted in their personal homes with family members. So what does that mean?
Ha Ha. Look at all the reviews on the BBB about PADSHIT. YES ITS PERSONAL WITH ME. IM GOING TO GET MY MONEY. MONEY IN THE BANK. THEY BEEN ILLEGALLY EVICTING THEIR TENANTS SINCE THEY OPEN THEIR DOORS. YES CRIME AND DRUGS IS EVERYWHERE. BUT WHEN YOU DECEIVE PEOPLE BY FAKE OR DOCTOR PICTURES ON THE ROOMS YOU RENT AND THEN WHEN THEY GET THERE ITS SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT
IF PADSHIT PROVIDED TRUE HOUSING AND SAFE LIVING ENVIRONMENTS I WOULD GIVE THEM THEIR KUDOS. BUT WHEN YOU KEEP DOING THE SAME WRONG STUFF. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF LOW INCOME PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY CANT OR DONT HAVE MONEY TO TAKE PADSHIT TO COURT. HELL YEAH ITS PERSONAL! IF THEY DO RIGHT WE WOULDN’T BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION. THEY TRIED THAT BULLCRAP WITH ME AND I TOOK THEIR DIRTY BEHINDS RIGHT TO COURT. EVEN IN 2024 THE SAME STUFF THAT PADSHIT BEEN DOING WHEN I RENTED FROM THEM IS STILL GOING ON AS WE SPEAK. DON’T BELIEVE ME. GO TO BBB TO SEE. A ZEBRA CAN’T CHANGE ITS STRIPES AND PADSHIT IS EVIDENT OF THAT.
FOR YOU COMING TO THE DEFENSE OF PADSHIT YOU MUST BE ONE OF THEIR PARTNERS SO I EXPECT YOU TO SAY SOMETHING STUPID. WHAT IM SPEAKING IS TRUTH. IT NOT ONLY ME. I’M SPEAKING FOR ALL THOSE OTHER PEOPLE WHO WISH THEY CAN TAKE PADSHIT TO COURT BUT DON’T HAVE THE MONEY. ALSO PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW THE TRUTH. I KNOW BIRDS OF THE FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER. SO THANK FOR YOUR COMMENT. WHOEVER YOU OUR.
I rent from one of these places and just got an abrupt eviction myself. Can someone help me get in touch with a lawyer as well?
I can help you sue them and you don’t need a lawyer you can sue them pro se. I doubt if they revised their lease. Which they have to since I beat them in court. I will show you how to get around their bogus arbitration clause too. YOU DO NOR HAVE TO GO THROUGH ARBITRATION WITH PADSPLIT FIRST. YOU CAN GO DIRECTLY TO THE COURTS.
I am interested in knowing how to file a case against them in court. I’d be interested in hearing a little more about your interaction with them. I can be reached at has2bthe1@hotmail.com
Courtney, you don’t have to leave padsplit when late or behind on rent. They have to take you to court unless you just pack up and leave. And there are agencies out here that assist you with rent.
What are the agencies assisting with rent?I had heard places that assist with rent do not do so with PadSplit.
No No Padspilt will illegally evict tenant because they don’t know how or don’t have money to take them to court.
In Aug. 17 2023, tenants including myself was illegally evacuated from the residence of 1496 Patricia Dr, Morrow, GA 30260 by the Morrow Fire Department, Marshal William Piper. The rental housing property was managed by a company called PadSplit. Claiming that the residence was not up to code by the Fire Marshal, I told that I had an hour to gather my belongings to move out. At the age of 60 doing that time and recovery from a respiratory infection, I was lost. I move into the residence in hopes to save more money towards my retirement as a EngineeringTechnician from Healthcare Facility of 21yrs. The action of the Fire Marshal force me to be homeless, while paying $500 plus for 6 weeks, i was only paying a little over $500 a month with PadSplit. Because of the high rates, in and out of hotels due to safety, I was forced to move in a apartment for the past year paying $1200.00 a month. 12/22/24, I retired at 62. Social Security is only paying $14000 a month, I now using money from my retirement plan at a fast rate. Yes I’m look for a part time job but at my age a experience as Engineering technician and health issues no one wants to hire me. I’m not sure who’s in violation, PadSplit or The Fire Department of Morrow. I know the negligence and unlawful actions have placed me in a vulnerable position.
Please if anyone in your network can assist me in this matter, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Rickey Smith
Courtney, email me at Rickeysmith822@yahoo.com.
Perhaps we can put our heads together and get to the bottom of this. This is a violation of our Constitutional Right and one of the two if not both parties needs to be held accountable. If there anyone else that’s a victim of this foolishness contact me ASAP.