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From Shauna & Randy:
Our story is a little long. Before you read it, know that it’s not just about what my family has gone through. This is about a pattern of behavior and an abuse of power that results in too many stories like ours in one small town.
In April 2017, we got into in a bad housing/landlord situation. On our agreed in move in date, the home was still under complete construction and had no working kitchen or bathroom. We were promised it would be completed as soon as possible and that rents would be prorated after the home was habitable. We trusted this arrangement because we knew this person, considered him a friend. Over the course of many months, the home was mostly completed. We were asked to help move renovations along by painting, cleaning and more. We purchased many supplies and lost countless wages by not being at our own business storefront. Constant construction dust made our asthmatic daughter sick regularly. A few months later, seemingly out of nowhere, the landlord claimed he never made statements about prorating rent or agreeing to reimburse for supplies and we suddenly found ourselves thousands of dollars in debt. Moving wasn’t an option as my wife was also struggling with a serious illness, so we made the best of it. Over the 2 years, we made regular payments and had a written agreement to have the balance paid by lease renewal in April 2019, despite the fact that we still disagreed with the amount. Instead, the landlord filed for eviction in February 2019, without any prior notice to us and the court paperwork was conveniently sent to the wrong address. When served, we had only had 10 days to move and find a place to live. That process put us thousands more in debt and closed our business for almost 2 weeks. My wife suffered a a serious relapse of her CVS from the stress. After the eviction, he then sued us for $15K.
Our court date was this Monday, 9/23 and he was granted a judgment of a little under $9K, mostly because he was willing to lie under oath. One day after court, before our attorney could make payment arrangements, he executed the judgement, meaning our bank accounts are levied and our property can be taken by the sheriff. We know now that it isn’t about the money. This is retribution for fighting back, for speaking up. This is a man who owns multiple rental properties, holds a position in local government and regularly misuses his power. So, we find ourselves in a position of not knowing what else to do but ask for help. Maybe some of you have been in a similar situation or maybe you know that the justice system isn’t always right or clear. Any support is so appreciated.
The Prause Family
Our story is a little long. Before you read it, know that it’s not just about what my family has gone through. This is about a pattern of behavior and an abuse of power that results in too many stories like ours in one small town.
In April 2017, we got into in a bad housing/landlord situation. On our agreed in move in date, the home was still under complete construction and had no working kitchen or bathroom. We were promised it would be completed as soon as possible and that rents would be prorated after the home was habitable. We trusted this arrangement because we knew this person, considered him a friend. Over the course of many months, the home was mostly completed. We were asked to help move renovations along by painting, cleaning and more. We purchased many supplies and lost countless wages by not being at our own business storefront. Constant construction dust made our asthmatic daughter sick regularly. A few months later, seemingly out of nowhere, the landlord claimed he never made statements about prorating rent or agreeing to reimburse for supplies and we suddenly found ourselves thousands of dollars in debt. Moving wasn’t an option as my wife was also struggling with a serious illness, so we made the best of it. Over the 2 years, we made regular payments and had a written agreement to have the balance paid by lease renewal in April 2019, despite the fact that we still disagreed with the amount. Instead, the landlord filed for eviction in February 2019, without any prior notice to us and the court paperwork was conveniently sent to the wrong address. When served, we had only had 10 days to move and find a place to live. That process put us thousands more in debt and closed our business for almost 2 weeks. My wife suffered a a serious relapse of her CVS from the stress. After the eviction, he then sued us for $15K.
Our court date was this Monday, 9/23 and he was granted a judgment of a little under $9K, mostly because he was willing to lie under oath. One day after court, before our attorney could make payment arrangements, he executed the judgement, meaning our bank accounts are levied and our property can be taken by the sheriff. We know now that it isn’t about the money. This is retribution for fighting back, for speaking up. This is a man who owns multiple rental properties, holds a position in local government and regularly misuses his power. So, we find ourselves in a position of not knowing what else to do but ask for help. Maybe some of you have been in a similar situation or maybe you know that the justice system isn’t always right or clear. Any support is so appreciated.
The Prause Family
Organizer and beneficiary
Joe Feinne
Organizer
Wharton, NJ
Shauna Prause
Beneficiary