Arizona Court Backs Eviction Ban For People Hurt In Pandemic

By Jill Ryan
Associated Press
Published: Thursday, July 23, 2020 - 8:24am

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that Gov. Doug Ducey acted legally in blocking evictions of tenants hit hard by COVID-19.

The judge said that it was clear Ducey was acting on what he calls “the rational basis of mitigating the spread of COVID-19.”

The judge rejected another argument that said the governor was effectively taking the property of landlords, on the stance that the landlords still have the right to be paid, eventually. 

Gregory Real Estate Management sued Ducey this month, asking the court to allow it to evict a family from in a rental home in Surprise over unpaid rent, which the firm says has now reached $8,000. A legal representative for the firm did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

The moratorium was set to expire this week but has been extended through Oct. 31, with one additional stipulation. 

Originally, tenants had to prove that they were affected by COVID-19, now they must also certify with the landlord that they have applied for a rental assistance program. 

States from Nevada to Virginia have recently lifted or are about to end moratoriums on rent payments and foreclosures designed to get people through the pandemic and its economic fallout.

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