{"id":5701,"date":"2021-10-04T10:59:42","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T10:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=5701"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:52:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:52:31","slug":"a-courthouse-moment-i-love-where-i-stay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2021\/10\/04\/a-courthouse-moment-i-love-where-i-stay\/","title":{"rendered":"A Courthouse Moment: &#8216;I love where I stay.&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s a Monday morning in Durham County\u2019s eviction court, and Joseph McMoil\u2019s home of four years is on the line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">McMoil, a stout 51-year-old man, shuffles to the witness stand. Dressed in a faded navy-blue T-shirt and old jeans, he settles into a swivel chair and gazes out at the smattering of people in the courtroom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMr. McMoil, what do you want me to consider as it relates to your case?\u201d Judge Shamieka Rhinehart asks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For eviction cases in North Carolina, defendants <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/chcs.uncg.edu\/right-to-counsel-in-eviction-cases\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">are not guaranteed counsel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, so McMoil represents, and testifies for, himself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u201c<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Um \u2026 um &#8230; the fact that the times that I missed the rent,\u201d McMoil mutters into the microphone.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cDuring that time, I wasn&#8217;t receiving as much of a gross amount of money as I usually do. Because of my work.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When McMoil\u2019s employer, a retirement home in Durham, reduced his hours early on in the pandemic, his income shrank to $1,800 a month, according to court documents. From April to September 2020, he couldn&#8217;t pay the $868 monthly rent for his apartment on Campus Walk Avenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though McMoil has paid his monthly rent since September 2020, he still owes $10,104.36 in accumulated rent and late fees, according to court documents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Morreene LLC, the company that owns the apartment, wants an order for possession of the property.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">McMoil\u2019s plight isn\u2019t unique. With the pandemic causing layoffs and diminished hours throughout Durham County, many tenants have struggled to pay rent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s eviction moratorium ended in late August, meaning many more Durham residents could face eviction in the coming months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/durhamerap.dconc.gov\/cares\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Durham Social Services\u00a0<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0(DSS) offers rental assistance, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legalaidnc.org\/get-help\/self-help-library\/housing\/rent-and-utility-assistance\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Legal Aid<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a nonprofit law firm, helps residents navigate the court system. But eligibility for rental assistance depends on earnings: residents can qualify only if they make less than 80% of the county\u2019s Area Median Income, which is $48,400. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">McMoil says he doesn\u2019t qualify now that his income has returned to pre-pandemic levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHave you thought about applying for any of the [COVID-19] assistance that&#8217;s available?\u201d asks Charles Carpenter, a tall, thin attorney representing Morreene LLC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI&#8217;ve called all those numbers,\u201d McMoil says, exasperated. \u201cI\u2019ve tried, yes. They are looking into what I make presently and [the fact] that I&#8217;m doing well now.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Carpenter pauses. \u201cBut you do acknowledge that there still are a number of months of rent that remain unpaid?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u201c<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yes,\u201d McMoil says. \u201cI&#8217;ve stayed at this place for a long time. Before [COVID-19], I paid every time. I was a good outstanding resident.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe don&#8217;t doubt that, Mr. McMoil,\u201d Carpenter says. His shoulders droop. He appears to hold no enthusiasm for evicting McMoil. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI was a very good resident before this happened,\u201d McMoil says, his voice growing desperate. \u201cSo if you make it where I pay a little extra and catch up or come to an agreement where I can improve it, I would very much like to stay. I love where I stay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A long silence hangs over the courtroom. Rhinehart glances back and forth between Carpenter and McMoil.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u201c<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Anybody want to be heard?\u201d she says, her chin resting on her hand, exhaustion in her voice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u201c<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Just briefly, Your Honor,\u201d Carpenter says. \u201cWe certainly feel for Mr. McMoil. I will point out, to his benefit, that when we proceed, that doesn&#8217;t cut off his avenue of discussion with us about the possibility of working something out.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Suddenly, the mood in the courtroom shifts. Despite McMoil\u2019s testimony about his failed attempts to qualify for DSS rental assistance, Rhinehart sits up in her seat and asks a lawyer to find the phone number for the program. Various attorneys talk over one another, trying to find the contact information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMr. McMoil, we&#8217;re trying to get you some help, OK?\u201d the judge calls out amid the hubbub.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When the commotion dies down, Rhinehart issues her judgment: \u201cMr. McMoil, it is unfortunate that I have to grant possession to the claimant. They met their burden.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHowever,\u201d she quickly adds, \u201cyou did hear Mr. Carpenter state that although I have entered a judgment, that they may still be willing to work with you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Judge Rhinehart recommends that McMoil go immediately to the third floor to find DSS representatives and assigns someone to escort him there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">McMoil walks slowly down the aisle, a gloomy look on his face. He has lost his home for now, but maybe there\u2019s still a chance to save it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a Monday morning in Durham County\u2019s eviction court, and Joseph McMoil\u2019s home of four years is on the line.\u00a0 McMoil, a stout 51-year-old man,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[20,71,139],"class_list":["post-5701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-courthouse-project","tag-a-courthouse-moment","tag-coronavirus","tag-evictions","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - 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