Notre Dame law students and the Notre Dame Law School’s Eviction Clinic published a report to examine how well Indiana’s eviction laws measure up to guidelines recently established by the American Bar Association (ABA).
The ABA’s recommendations include establishing steps to limit the stress that eviction judgments take on families by encouraging negotiated settlements, ensuring fairness in eviction hearings, limiting evictions in cases where renters are in compliance with their lease obligations or are able to quickly resolve any non-compliance, and sealing court records in appropriate cases so that families are not prevented from renting new homes.
The Notre Dame Eviction Clinic’s report looks at each of the 10 ABA guidelines and then discusses how Indiana law measures up to each.
Jeanna James, a third-year law student who has represented numerous renters as a certified legal intern, added that she has seen how “the way the eviction laws work in practice magnifies the inequality between landlords and renters. Renters may be evicted for nearly any violation of their lease obligations, while landlords often violate their obligation to provide habitable homes with impunity.”
Members of the Order of St. Thomas More stand with Notre Dame Law Students like Jeanna as they work to make an impact in their local community. Read more about their work >