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A woman in New Orleans was awarded $1,800 after a court upheld a wrongful eviction ruling, despite her not being the named tenant on the lease. Which ruled on 19 May 2026, the property manager had failed to follow the required legal procedures before removing her, according to the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal. Following her removal, Taylor hired an attorney and filed a lawsuit in First City Court of New Orleans on 13 January 2022. Under a consent agreement concerning a preliminary injunction, she was granted access to the apartment from 26 January until 16 February 2022. On 3 March 2025, the trial court ruled in Taylor’s favour, finding that she had been wrongfully evicted and awarding her damages for mental anguish. Guste Homes appealed the decision, arguing that federal law governing subsidised housing should have applied and that there was insufficient evidence to support the $1,800 award. It relied on Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 4702, which requires an owner seeking to evict an occupant after the purpose of the occupancy has ended to deliver written notice allowing five days to vacate.
The court confirmed that occupants can receive eviction protections similar to tenants, even when they are not named on the lease.
Taylor did not remain in the apartment throughout that period, according to the judgment. Joddice Taylor was ordered to leave her home after the death of her long-time partner, Nelson Ragas, without being allowed to take her belongings. Her petition sought an injunction restoring her possession of the apartment, along with compensation for out-of-pocket expenses, inconvenience and mental anguish caused by her displacement. Instead, she used the time to inventory and retrieve her belongings and Ragas’ possessions before leaving the premises. She placed Ragas’ belongings in a storage unit, but, being unemployed, she could not maintain the payments. The storage operator eventually seized and sold the possessions. The appeal also challenged the assessment of damages associated with conversion and mental anguish. The Fourth Circuit considered whether a property owner or manager could remove an occupant from a legally occupied property without prior notice or any court proceedings. The court acknowledged that Taylor was not a tenant under the lease but rejected the argument that this meant she could be removed without legal protection. The judgment stated: “However, under Louisiana law, occupants are afforded mandatory procedural protections similar to those of tenants. The court also explained that the notice is only the first step in the eviction process and does not eliminate the need for court proceedings.