District of Columbia v. Towers (2021)

Citation: District of Columbia v. Towers (2021)
Parent Document: District of Columbia v. Towers (2021)
Jurisdiction: DC (municipal)
Effective Date: 2021-05-13
Original Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4882760/district-of-columbia-v-towers/ ↗

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We question the trial court’s determination that the landlords’ right to access
claim was ancillary to a claim under “[t]he United States Constitution [that] protects
the right of property owners to go to court to regain possession of their property in a
summary proceeding,” a right the court described as “time sensitive.” To be sure,
property owners have rights that are protected by various constitutional provisions,
but we are unaware that there is a constitutional right to evictions on a particular
timetable, notwithstanding prior descriptions in our cases of landlord-tenant
proceedings as “summary in nature.” Mahdi v. Poretsky Management, 433 A.2d
1085, 1088 (D.C. 1981); but cf. Hornstein, 560 A.2d at 532 & n.3 (describing
“comprehensive scheme of regulation [including eviction controls] designed to
protect the rights of tenants, particularly poor and elderly tenants who, in the
Council’s reasonable view, merit and need such protection” (footnote omitted)).

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