For months, Courtney lived in conditions her landlord had already promised a court to fix. The repairs never came. And without legal help, she had little power to hold anyone accountable.
Through AVLF’s Saturday Lawyer Program, she was paired with a volunteer attorney who believed her story and took it to court. The judge agreed: the landlord had violated a consent order, and the tenant deserved justice. The court awarded her $50,000.
But for her, the dollar amount was only part of the story.
“What stands out to me most about this decision is not the monetary award, but the recognition it gives to tenants’ rights and the accountability it places on landlords who fail to meet their obligations. This ruling affirms that habitability matters, that consent agreements matter, and that tenants are entitled to meaningful remedies when those duties are ignored.”
“I believe this decision takes an important step forward in reinforcing protections for tenants across Georgia, particularly those who often feel unheard or powerless in these situations. It ensures that access to justice does not depend on a tenant’s ability to match the resources or power of large property owners.”
Her case is a reminder of what pro bono representation makes possible. When tenants have someone in their corner, the law works the way it is supposed to. That is the work AVLF volunteers do every day across Fulton County.