Eviction notice filings have flooded the Court Clerk's office and created a backlog that is only now being resolved.
Clerk of the Court Austin Badon says he's seen an incredible number of filings of eviction orders.
"This week alone we have 48 eviction filings, 18 alone as of yesterday, which is above and beyond what I'm normally dealing with in the court," Says Badon. "One of the good things is we have sent all the cases that we had backlogged; those have been given court dates or they've been settled on their own."
Badon's office is doing what they can to avoid sending landlords and renters to eviction hearings.
Because of the backlog they've had to deal with, First City Court Clerk Austin Badon says it could be a long while before a case is heard in court.
"Unfortunately because we had such a large backlog, the court dates are out to mid-November," according to Badon. "So anybody who is coming in right now and filing an eviction I can't get to them until at least November 13th."
Meanwhile Badon says his office is open on Saturday to help service landlords filing eviction actions.
First City Court Clerk Austin Badon says his judges are working through backlogs and the recent landslide of eviction filings. But Badon is confident his judges can and will do what they can to see both sides are treated fairly.
"Judges look at each case on an individual basis and I've seen some cases where they have been scheduled to move out in 24 hours. But for the most part what they do is they'll ask the landlord how much time would you give the person to move out. The landlord can say 'I want them out now', or the landlord could give them some more time to move out."
Because of a backlog, scheduling for any notice action filed in the last few days can only be seen in the middle of November, more than a month away. So, Badon recommends tenants and landlords use this time to see if they can resolve their problems.
Badon wants to see landlord-tenant problems worked out without having involved the Court in an eviction action. To help both parties they've got online and in person help ready for people to access:
"It's a one-stop shop. We don't want you to evict, we encourage you not to evict, and if you were to come in we can help you go through the process and try to recoup your back rent as well as a few months future rent."
To access the Clerk of the Court's webpage for landlords to recover back rent through a government assistance program, visit www.ready.nola.gov.