PHILADELPHIA – Today, six weeks after the Angel Davis Eviction Accountability Act was signed into law, the municipal court announced that landlord-tenant officer Marisa Shuter will cease conducting evictions. As the lawyer appointed to oversee private evictions in Philadelphia, Marissa Shuter has collected millions of dollars in fees from landlords and faced scrutiny for profiting off of a notoriously dangerous and reckless eviction system, especially after her deputies shot two women during evictions last year. The new law, authored by Minority Leader Kendra Brooks, makes the landlord-tenant officer (or LTO) accountable for licensing, training, and insuring private contractors who conduct evictions.
“After her deputies shot two women during evictions last year, triggering two lawsuits to cover millions of dollars for their medical care, it’s no surprise that landlord-tenant officer Marisa Shuter is unable to find someone willing to insure her dangerous for-profit eviction operation,” said Minority Leader Kendra Brooks. “The Angel Davis Eviction Accountability Act sets a new and higher standard for private entities that conduct evictions in Philadelphia, and if Marisa Shuter is unable to meet that standard, then her office should not be conducting evictions. Every other municipality in the state of Pennsylvania operates without allowing private entities to conduct evictions. I am confident that Philadelphia can find a way to do the same.”
Today’s announcement comes after months of scrutiny by renters rights groups, advocates, and elected leaders as well as two lawsuits filed by Angel Davis and Latese Bethea, the women who were shot.
“Thank you to the members of City Council who have worked tirelessly to ensure a safer and more transparent system for those facing eviction in the City of Philadelphia,” said Bethany Nikitenko, attorney for Angel Davis. “The closure of the Landlord Tenant Office hopefully signals the end of the for-profit eviction system in Philadelphia. Fairness and accountability will only be achieved when the system is beholden to City government and the people of Philadelphia.”
In the wake of the shootings, State Senators Sharif Street and Nikil Saval called for an end to private evictions in Pennsylvania, and State Representative Rick Krajewski introduced legislation to regulate evictions statewide.
“Evictions are inherently violent and destabilizing, and when handled by a private entity like the landlord-tenant officer, whose untrained subcontractors are incentivized to perform evictions as quickly as possible to maximize profits, everyone is less safe,” said State Senator Nikil Saval (1st Senatorial District). “I’m grateful to Councilmember Brooks and all my colleagues in City Council for lifting the standards to protect renter households throughout our city. At the state level, we must amend our laws to ensure that evictions anywhere in our Commonwealth can only be performed by public entities who answer to the communities they serve.”
“Today’s announcement represents a crucial first step towards overhauling Philadelphia’s corrupt, violent and for-profit eviction process. I appreciate the work done by our City Council and Mayor to ensure that public eviction agents can be held publicly accountable” said State Representative Rick Krajewski (House District 188). “Earlier this spring, House Democrats passed legislation which would require the city to establish an eviction agent review board, end dangerous “surprise evictions,” and provide services to tenants in need. Now, we must ensure that whoever carries out evictions in Philly’s future is similarly committed to the safety and well being of Philly renters.”
The Angel Davis Eviction Accountability Act was voted out of City Council with a veto-proof majority on June 13 and signed into law by Mayor Parker the following week. In addition to requiring contractors to undergo training to earn a license, the law requires the LTO to obtain professional liability insurance of $2 million per incident and $4 million per year, in order to cover medical expenses like those incurred by Angel Davis and Latese Bethea, who were both shot by LTO contractors last year. Marisa Shuter indicated in a letter to landlords that she would be forced to cease operations because she was unable to find suitable insurance under the new law.
“After landlord-tenant officer subcontractors shot two women during lockouts, Council pledged to restore oversight, accountability and safety to a public function that operated opaquely and dangerously,” said Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District), Chair of the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless. “As the city’s legislative body, one of Council’s responsibilities is to create legal standards for businesses. If a for-profit entity can not meet the safety regulations implemented by City Council and the Mayor, they should not conduct evictions. When we are talking about law enforcement actions, safety must always come before profit. Every other county in Pennsylvania relies on sworn law enforcement officers to carry out evictions. If necessary, I am confident in the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office’s ability to perform lockouts in the landlord-tenant officer’s stead.”
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