A Quinnipiac Meadows tenant struggling with a “serious mental illness” has 30 days to iron out their UniteCT application to avoid eviction — as a landlord’s attorney warned that the state rent-relief program may soon be running out of cash.
That was the outcome of an eviction case hearing that took place in state housing court Tuesday.
The hearing was held online via live videostream before state Superior Court Judge John Cirello, who helms the housing docket at New Haven’s state courthouse on Elm Street.
The emotional hearing saw a self-represented tenant, a landlord attorney, and the state judge try to find middle ground between keeping a property owner whole and keeping a vulnerable, fixed-income renter off the street.
Ultimately, Cirello granted the tenant’s motion to open a prior default judgment — and the landlord and tenant agreed to a mediated stipulation giving the tenant at least another 30 days in their apartment as they try to get their UniteCT rent-relief application approved by the state.
“This must be very difficult for you,” Cirello said as the tenant burst into sobs during the hearing as they described two recent hospitalizations because stemming from a decade-long battle with bipolar disorder.
“Yes,” the tenant said through tears.
Attorney Herb Reckmeyer, representing the landlord in the case, commiserated with the tenant’s plight. He assured the court that he was willing to work with them to try to catch up on rent.
“My wife’s a social worker,” Reckmeyer said. “My daughter’s a social worker. So mental illness, I’m very familiar with it. It does cause difficulties.”
Behind On Rent; Mental Health "Break"
The case itself dates back to early December, when the landlord — a holding company controlled by the Hamden-based Belfonti Companies — filed an eviction lawsuit against the tenant for nonpayment of rent.
The original eviction complaint states that the tenant failed to pay their $179 monthly rent last August, September, and October.
In early January, since the tenant had failed to file an appearance in the ongoing legal matter, Cirello issued a default order against the tenant and a judgment of possession in favor of the landlord.
Several days later, the tenant filed a court appearance as well as a motion to open the judgment.
“I did not know the process,” the tenant wrote in that motion to open. “I did not receive a court date. I have a mental disability and was recently hospitalized. It was so much going on, I lost track of...