Francia Romero v. City of Waterbury et al

Parties Involved

  • Plaintiff(s): Francia Romero
    • Counsel for Plaintiff: Karen Elaine Haley

 

  • Defendant(s): City of Waterbury | Waterbury Development Corporation | Michael Gilmore | Thomas Watson | Stephen Conway | William Quinn
    • Counsel for Defendants: Waterbury Corporation Counsel

Verdict Information

  • Verdict Date: May 23, 2024
  • Total damages awarded to Plaintiff: $0 (Verdict for Defendant)

About the Case

Cause

Francia Romero, a property owner, purchased a three-unit apartment building located at 25 Johnson Street in Waterbury, CT, in October 2019. After the purchase, she discovered that tenants Jose Montez, Maritza Quinome, and Jesus Ramos were occupying the basement unit illegally. Romero promptly notified the occupants about the illegal occupancy and demanded that they vacate the premises. The tenants verbally agreed to vacate and seek alternative living arrangements.

To formalize the eviction process, Romero served the tenants with notices to quit possession for “lapse of time” since their privilege to occupy had ended. She also offered them a “cash for keys” deal, which Montez and Quinome initially refused but later accepted on November 15, 2019, after finding alternative housing with family members. On the same day, the City of Waterbury, through its agents, conducted an inspection of the premises after the tenants notified them about the situation.

The following day, November 16, 2019, the city agents informed the tenants that they would be relocated to a motel called American Motor Lodge at Romero’s expense. Romero received a letter from the City of Waterbury’s Department of Public Health, dated November 19, 2019, claiming a “public health law violation upon the premises.” The letter stated that Romero was liable for all expenses related to the relocation pursuant to C.G.S. 8-266 et seq., the Uniform Relocation Assistance Act (URAA) regulations, and Connecticut Agencies Regulations Section 8-273-1 through 8-273-41.

Despite being notified by Romero that she had secured suitable housing for the tenants, the city employees refused to interact with her regarding the relocation. They allowed the tenants to remain in the motel for an extended period, incurring additional expenses for Romero.

Injury

The primary injury Francia Romero suffered stemmed from the City of Waterbury employees’ inaction and failure to relocate the tenants to the suitable housing she had secured for them after their initial relocation to the American Motor Lodge motel. The city employees allowed the tenants to remain in the motel for an extended period despite being notified of the available alternative housing. As a result, Romero incurred significant unnecessary expenses related to the continued motel stay.

In addition to these financial damages from the accrued motel costs, Romero’s property became encumbered with a lien of $29,000 imposed by the City of Waterbury for the relocation expenses. She alleged that this lien on her property constituted a further injury resulting from the city employees’ negligent actions.

Damages

Romero claimed that the city employees owed her a statutory duty to promptly relocate the tenants to the housing she had secured. She argued that they also had a duty to avoid incurring additional damages through extended motel expenses and other relocation costs. According to Romero, their failure to fulfill this duty directly and proximately caused her to suffer monetary losses. These losses came in the form of mounting motel bills and an imposed lien on her property.

Jury Verdict

The jury unanimously found in favor of the defendant and against the plaintiff, awarding no damages to the plaintiff.

Court Documents:

Complaint

Jury Verdict