Straus Institute Partners with the City of Santa Monica to Offer Aid in Eviction Disputes
The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law will collaborate with the City of Santa Monica to provide mediation for landlords and tenants who are navigating payment of deferred rent alongside city- and state-wide eviction moratorium orders in place through the end of the year. Pro bono services will be offered through the Straus Mediation Clinic and externship program.
This collaboration aims to equip commercial landlords and tenants with an understanding of available options as they consider payment of deferred rent, including using alternative dispute resolution or civil litigation to move forward. To find out more about pro bono mediation services for rental negotiations, commercial landlords and tenants should complete a "request for mediation services" form available on the Straus Institute website here.
The Institute is also collaborating with the City on providing mediation services for residential tenants and landlords, including hosting a Community Information Session on Mediation taking place online on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, at 12 p.m. The event is open to commercial and residential landlords and tenants, and will inform participants on utilizing mediation to resolve rental disputes. To register for the event, please visit the Straus Institute website here.
The partnership between the Straus Institute and the City of Santa Monica formally launched on September 3, 2020, at a virtual town hall meeting held by the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. At this event, the Straus Institute and Chamber member law firm, Pettit Kohn Ingrassia Lutz & Dolin, helped educate commercial landlords and tenants on how they may settle disputes following the end of the eviction moratoriums. The Santa Monica City Attorney's Office and Economic Development Division are contributing to the collaboration with the Straus Institute.
For more information on Santa Monica's eviction moratorium, please visit the website here.