10/20/1998 - 2388 (See Related VNN Stories)

Court To Review Ram Parashar's Eviction

Los Angeles, California (VNN) - A Municipal Court Judge decided to reconsider her previous eviction rulingagainst Ram Parashar based on a motion filed by his lawyer which presentednewly obtained evidence that the L.A. Housing Department has determined thatISKCON Temple apartments are not exempt from the Los Angeles RentStabilization Ordinance (RSO), after all. This new evidence shows thatISKCON has not met its exemption criteria since 1989 and must comply withthe RSO. Judge Elizabeth A. White set a hearing on Parashar's motion forreconsideration for November 3, 1998, and on that date could dismiss thecase against him. In the interim, ISKCON has yet to have Ram and SunandaParashar and their children ejected from their apartment.

When asked to comment on the Court's decision to review the September 25thdecision against Ram Parashar, his attorney, Joseph Fedorowsky (Gupta das),told VNN that the Court's decision to review the case was based onuncontroverted evidence that the eviction action filed by ISKCON against RamParashar had no basis and was unlawful in the first place:

"ISKCON of Southern California Inc's eviction case against Ram Parashar wasbased on the proffer of a Certificate obtained from the City of Los AngelesHousing Department ostensibly exempting the subject property from the RentStabilization Ordinance (RSO). With that certificate in hand ISKCON ofSouthern California Inc proceeded with an eviction against Ram on athirty-day notice basis even though undisputed evidence indicated that theproperty was, de facto, non exempt. After investigators from the LosAngeles Housing Department reviewed the situation last week, however, theyconcluded that ISKCON of Southern California Inc, who is Ram Parashar'slandlord, had never met the RSO threshold criteria during the period of 1989to 1998 and, therefore, was not exempt from the provisions of the LosAngeles RSO.

The L.A. Housing Department's determination directly affectsall 17 or more units in the building located at 3765 Watseka in Los Angelesand confirms that no tenant at 3765 Watseka can be evicted without properbasis as defined in the RSO, and, even if a proper legal basis exists torequest the relocation of a tenant, in most cases up to $5,000 in relocationfees must be paid to the tenant as a condition to such a move. What's more,until ISKCON of Southern California Inc properly registers the property withthe City under the provisions of the RSO, it is patently illegal for ISKCONof Southern California Inc to either demand or collect rents from thetenants of that building. Affected tenants may want to consider payingtheir rents into the L.A. Housing Department trust fund set up specificallyfor situations like this in order to avoid any artificial dispute overalleged non payment."

Attorney Joseph Fedorowsky (Gupta das) also announced that as a publicservice his office will provide free consultation to anyone who lives in aLos Angeles Temple apartment regarding their rights as a tenant under theRent Stabilization Ordinance. To make an appointment for this free legalservice, affected tenants may call the special message-only number: (562)634-3600. Or, affected tenants may write directly to: Joseph Fedorowsky c/oOxford Law Firm 5757 West Century Blvd., Suite 700 in Los Angeles, CA 90045to set up a free consultation. He can also be reached at:lawyer@oxfordlaw.com.

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