Simpson Thacher Wins Appeal of Pro Bono Housing Case
01.28.13
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On January 24, 2013, the Firm’s Washington DC office succeeded in obtaining a reversal by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals of a judgment entered against a tenant in a nonpayment eviction action brought by her landlord. The tenant appealed the jury verdict against her on two grounds: (1) that she was improperly denied a jury instruction on the defense of retaliation and (2) that a third party affidavit previously submitted to the trial court by the landlord should not have been excluded as inadmissible hearsay. The Court of Appeals agreed on both counts and remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedings. The STB team included Peter Thomas, Conor Reidy, and Jonathan Porter, who represented the tenant pro bono after a referral from the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. Former associate Christopher Kelly argued the appeal.