Hon. Patricia Cowett - San Diego, CA

Several years ago a landlord was able to get a case dismissed against him in which he represented himself. He presented to Judge Patricia Cowett an altered lease, which he changed AFTER the tenant had signed it. The lawsuit against him was due to the fact that the tenant found out the security light for the building in which tenant resided was connected to her electrical meter & unbeknownst to her had been paying for that light every day for 11 years! When landlord was asked about it his response to tenant's face was "sue me.'. He had forged her initials on the 1st 3 pages of said lease & @ the end of the sentence saying tenant is responsible for gas & electricity, he wrote in caps 'AS WELL AS ONE OUTSIDE SECURITY LIGHT.' He had just redone the tenant's lease 3 months earlier when one of tenant's children went away to college. HE NEVER INFORMED HER OF THE SECURITY LIGHT ISSUE PRIOR TO HER DISCOVERING IT ON HER OWN. HE WAS BUSTED & HE KNEW IT! After he was served the lawsuit papers is when he did the alterations on it because the initials & added statement were not on there when she signed it 3 months earlier. After getting busted, he served the tenant a 60-day notice to move. No rent was ever owed to him, tenant was always current. As a result of being evicted w/o cause, tenant & her daughter were HOMELESS for the next 2 1/2 years!!!!! Judge Cowett believed a multimillionaire over a single parent trying to make ends meet. NO TENANT WOULD AGREE TO PAY FOR AN EXPENSE THAT IS SOLELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE LANDLORD. HE IS ALSO A DOCTOR--EMERGENCY MEDICINE.