Elizabeth Hirschhorn first rented Sascha Jovanovic's guest home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles for a long-term stay in September 2021 for six months at a rate of $105 a night. Things were cordial at the beginning.
However, when her stay ended in April 2022, and it was time for Hirschhorn to leave, she just didn't.
Since then, Hirschhorn has been living in in the guest house rent-free, and Jovanovic can do nothing to get her out.
A judge recently ruled that under Los Angeles' Just Cause Ordinance, Jovanovic has no legal reason to evict her, and instead would have to pay a relocation fee to do so.
And that fee? Hirschhorn's lawyers say $100,000 would do the trick. And that's ON TOP of the $20,793 that Hirschhorn initially paid in rent to Jovanovic because apparently, the city never approved his guest house for occupancy, and its shower was constructed without a permit!
Hirschhorn's attorney Colin Walshok told the LA Times, "The landlord broke the law and tried to make money by renting out an illegal bootleg unit."
Jovanovic filed a pair of lawsuits against Hirschhorn: a damages complaint to recoup $58,000 in paid rent, and an appeal of the judge's decision to dismiss the eviction case.
HOWEVER, Hirschhorn countersued, accusing Jovanovic of 15 violations — including negligence, nuisance, intentional infliction of emotional distress, unlawful business practices, and a violation of the LA County COVID procedures.
"It's like a war where no bullets are flying," Jovanovic said. "Every time I open the door, I'm afraid she'll be leaving at the same time.
"Her door is a few feet from my daughter's bedroom," Jovanovic noted. "We don't sleep well anymore."
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