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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Four residents of UCLA's University Village apartments for graduate family housing are suing the UC Regents, alleging their units were plagued by sewage leaks and other habitability problems that damaged their personal property and disrupted their lives.
Plaintiffs Kailani Humeston, Elsie Jacobson, Brian Park and Alexis Weber allege breach of the warranty of habitability and the implied covenant of quiet enjoyment, negligence, nuisance, violation of the Los Angeles tenant anti- harassment ordinance and unlawful business practices.
The plaintiffs seek unspecified compensatory damages, including for emotional distress, plus civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each alleged violation. The suit states the university has owned the housing since October 2017.
A UCLA representative could not be reached for comment on the Los Angeles Superior Court suit brought Dec. 22.
The proposed class-action suit involves applicable residents who have paid rent at University Village from December 2019 to the filing of the suit. The university represented to prospective tenants that the housing was "premier" and free of defects, but knew that was not the case, the suit states.
In reality, there were serious plumbing problems that were not repaired, causing water intrusion, flooding and sewage overflow in units, the suit states. Tenants were displaced, their personal property was damaged and their lives were disrupted, according to the suit.
The university also was aware that the graduate housing had other leaks that were not repaired, causing additional water damage, the suit alleges.
Humeston alleges her unit repeatedly had raw sewage, including feces, and wastewater overflow from the bathtub and toilet throughout the 2 1/2 years she lived there. Humeston reported the plumbing problems at least 21 times, but the repairs were inadequate and she had to stay there because she could not afford to move to a hotel, the suit states.
Finally, after feces bubbled up into Humeston's bathtub and onto the floor, the university agent recommended that she and her partner vacate because of a biohazard and they were moved to an "emergency unit," the suit states.
Plaintiff Weber maintains she became sick while removing sewage from her unit in August 2021 after the university failed to help her. She says the same flooding occurred again 14 months later.
Sarah Dundish, the director of university housing and strategic initiatives, admitted in writing to the plaintiffs that she knew about the habitability issues and Xochitl Ortiz, the resident services coordinator, verbally acknowledged that the university was aware of the regular sewage and wastewater overflows into the first-floor units and the regular leaks into the third-floor units, according to the suit.