Suit claims owner of eight-unit complex tried to force residents out days after purchase.
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office has sued the owner of an eight-unit apartment building, alleging he violated tenant protection laws by trying to force residents out shortly after buying the property.
City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto’s office filed the civil lawsuit under the city’s Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance and the state’s Unfair Competition Law. The complaint names Femi G. Olanipekun as the defendant.
According to the lawsuit, Olanipekun demanded that all tenants leave the complex without just cause just five days after purchasing it, seeking higher rents. He also served several tenants with eviction notices without just cause. When residents refused to leave, the suit alleges he began a campaign of harassment that included interrupting water and waste disposal services, imposing new fees, revoking outdoor storage rights, discarding tenants’ personal property and pursuing evictions based in part on unilateral lease changes.
The city is seeking an injunction to stop the alleged violations, along with civil penalties and punitive damages.
Feldstein Soto said the suit aims to enforce local and state tenant protections and deter similar practices by other landlords. The case is being handled by the city attorney’s Public Rights Branch.