D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said his office will appeal a D.C. Superior Court judge’s recent decision to strike down the city’s moratorium on eviction filings.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to crush local businesses, tens of thousands of District residents are struggling to pay the bills after losing hours at work, if not their jobs entirely,” Racine said in a statement Friday. “These residents deserve a chance to get back on their feet as soon as possible — without the added anxiety from an eviction filing looming over them.”
The attorney general said his office has enforced and defended protections crafted by the city government for D.C.’s most vulnerable residents.
“Residents and advocates have told us that the moratorium on eviction filings has provided an essential source of relief in the form of hope [and] that once the pandemic ends, they will be able to get back to work and back on track with rent payments while keeping a roof above their heads,” Racine said.
