OLYMPIA — A Nevada property management firm threatened tenants of apartment complexes in Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap counties with possible eviction for not paying rent, violating an emergency order protecting tenants from such action during the pandemic, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
The lawsuit was filed against JRK Residential, whose properties include Carroll’s Creek Landing in Marysville and The Boulders at Puget Sound in Tacoma.
Filed in Pierce County Superior Court, the lawsuit accuses the firm of violating the eviction moratorium order signed by Gov. Jay Inslee by issuing notices to pay or vacate in April to at least 14 residents of The Boulders.
It also alleges company employees repeatedly phoned residents or attached notices to doors in other complexes reminding them that rent was due, even though the governor’s order allows tenants to not pay if they are unable due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“JRK Residential is a large, sophisticated corporation that knew about the Governor’s Emergency Evictions Proclamation — and ignored it anyway,” Ferguson said in a statement. “Their conduct is cruel and unlawful – and we will hold them accountable.”
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