This is my fourth diary reporting the ongoing saga of the efforts of Maryland’s Attorney General and Jared Kushner’s tenants to fine this slumlord for his rental practices and to bring Kushner and his company into compliance with state law.
In my initial diary back in October 2019, I reported that the Maryland Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection had filed suit against Westminster Management, a company that Jared Kushner and his brother Josh and their parents own, along with 25 subsidiary companies that Westminster owns. The companies own 17 apartment complexes in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. The suit alleged that Kushner was bilking his tenants, many of whom are poor and vulnerable, with fees that were illegal under Maryland law. The apartments themselves were infested with rats and other rodents, and plagued with water leaks that Kushner refused to repair, creating mold in the walls and wrecking kitchen appliances which Kushner also refused to repair. The AG’s office filed the suit only after it had made numerous unsuccessful attempts to settle with Kushner, who, upon assuming whatever office it was he held in his father-in-law’s regime, resigned as CEO of Westminster but remains principal owner.
In January of 2020, I reported that a Baltimore County judge had without opinion dismissed a second suit brought by Kushner’s tenants demanding reimbursement of the fees Kushner had charged them. However, the Attorney General’s suit was not affected by the dismissal of the tenants’ suit.
The Baltimore Sun has now reported that the trial of the case brought by the Attorney General, which has been going on for three months, has now concluded. The case is now being decided by an Administrative Law Judge in Baltimore County, and she has 90 days to render her decision. Following her decision, either side can request a court to review the decision.
During the trial, the Attorney General’s office submitted statements by aggrieved tenants. One woman, who lived in a Kushner apartment with her infant son, complained to Kushner’s apartment manager, apparently without success, of the mice and ants that had taken over the apartment: “I am tired of Mickey running through my damn kitchen!”
The Attorney General estimates that, should the state prevail, damages could total millions of dollars; however, under the regulatory scheme under which this case is proceeding, the state’s suit did not specify an amount sought.