We fight landlords who violate the law because we believe housing is a human right. We take on local, state and federal law enforcement when they violate the constitutional rights of the people they serve.
Housing Justice
At the People’s Law Project, we will handle problem landlords. As a tenant, you have the right to be protected from discrimination on the basis of your race, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability, or whether or not you get help paying your rent. Further, your landlord cannot retaliate against you for sticking up for your rights. We represent tenants in lawsuits against landlords to enforce their rights at trial or to negotiate a resolution out of court.
Civil Rights
We are dedicated to standing up against government and police misconduct. A law enforcement officer cannot arrest you without probable cause to believe you have committed a crime, and cannot use unreasonable force against you whether you have or haven’t committed a crime. We handle a wide range of cases to hold law enforcement and government agencies accountable in their duty to protect your civil rights.
Cases we have been involved in:
The People’s Law Project is proud be on the team of attorneys led by the ACLU fighting against federal law enforcement retaliation against protesters at the South Portland ICE facility. Dickinson, et al. v. Trump, et al. (a.k.a. The Portland Chicken v. Trump), 3:25-cv-02170-SI. On February 4, 2026, Plaintiffs’ were granted a temporary restraining order preventing federal law enforcement officers from continuing to use chemical munitions in retaliation for exercising their First Amendment right to protest. Federal Agents must limit tear gas for now at protests outside ICE building in Portland
The People’s Law Project teamed up with Legal Aid Services of Oregon in a lawsuit on behalf of a Liberian-American family who came to us for help with their landlord who repeatedly yelled racial slurs at them and mistreated their young children. We were able to obtain a $410,000 settlement agreement on their behalf, allowing them to buy their own home.
In a case against one of the country’s largest landlords (who should have known better) the People’s Law Project was able to obtain a $365,000 settlement on behalf of a tenant with mobility disabilities who was given the run around and denied a handicap parking space for months on end.
In January 2025, the People’s Law Project filed a lawsuit on behalf of fifteen tenants of the Glencourt Apartments in Portland, OR for to address the landlord’s failure to provide heat. Multnomah County Civil Court Case No. 25CV04537, Cascante, et al. v. Turk Investments LLC, et al. See media coverage by the Oregonian here.
Obtained settlements for journalists pepper-sprayed and attacked by federal law enforcement agents during the George Floyd protests of 2020.
In December 2024, we obtained $95,000 in a negotiated settlement for a Portland tenant who suffered racist harassment at the hands of her neighbors and whose landlord failed to take reasonable steps to intervene. Best v. Williams, et al., Civil Action No. 3:23-CV-1088 (AN).
The People’s Law Project obtained a victory on behalf of affordable housing tenants to hold landlords accountable for providing the same rent increase notice as is required for market rate tenants, and obtained a full recovery of statutory damages for all class members. Ebert v. Greystar et al., Multnomah County Circuit Court Case No. 19CV53029.
Obtained a settlement of $100,000 for a low-income tenant of color who was denied housing on the basis of her status as a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) recipient. Kianga Taylor v. Paul Leavens, NE 100th LLC, Multnomah County Circuit Court Case No. 20CV27523.
Together with Underdog Law, obtained a jury award of full emotional distress damages and returned rental value for a low-income senior whose landlord failed to take the most basic fire safety precautions, costing her her home and belongings when a fire took her apartment building. Pamela Boyd v. Cascade Management, Inc., Multnomah County Case No. 19CV42308.
The People’s Law Project represents the Community Services Constortium appearing as amici in the Oregon Supreme Court Case, Hickey v. Scott, Case No. S068647, advocating for the rights of tenants by requiring that landlords who seek to evict tenants for nonpayment of rent must have first provided them with a notice of the correct and actual amount of rent owed. In Oregon, a landlord must provide a tenant notice to pay rent prior to filing an eviction case against them. This case argues that this notice to pay or have the tenancy terminated must state the correct amount owed, and an eviction case should be dismissed if the notice to pay did not demand the correct amount.
The People’s Law Project is fighting for accountability for the federal agents who unleashed indiscriminate and disproportionate force during the George Floyd protests of the Summer of 2020, in a class action and in multiple individual injury and false arrest cases. Protesters file a class action lawsuit against the federal government.
On July 7, 2020, the People’s Law Project filed a class action lawsuit against the City of Portland on behalf of protesters and citizen journalists arrested without probable cause and subjected to excessive force. Robert Evans, Bea Lake, and Sadie Oliver-Grey v. City of Portland, Multnomah County Circuit Court Case No. 20CV23349. Notice to putative class members: The court has granted approval of a settlement of the individual plaintiff’s claims. This case has been resolved without certification of a class and without a decision on the merits with respect to class members.
Together with the Oregon Justice Resource Center and Attorney Alan Kessler, the People’s Law Project sued the City of Portland in a reminder to the police that property damage is unlawful. Portland Police stole a loudspeaker for Playing the National Anthem during a Portland Protest.
Together with Olsen Daines, the People’s Law Project obtained a confidential settlement for a Native American woman subjected to racial slurs by a Fred Meyer employee after she asked the employee for their name to make a complaint.
Together with Underdog Law, the People’s Law Project sued a motel for charging longterm residence the City hotel tax, achieving a class-wide settlement and obtaining an agreement to cease the practice going forward. Debbie Tyler vs Param Hotel Corp., Mahesh Enterprises Inc., G & P Laxmi, Inc., Multnomah County Case No. 19CV53295.
Interested in learning more? Contact the People’s Law Project for a Free Consultation.