“As a nonprofit, every single dollar that we raise is almost always allotted to programs, supplies, support, benefits. There really aren’t additional funds that organizations and nonprofits like ours have when we potentially face an unfortunate [legal] situation […] For us it’s good to know that there is an organization like yours out there, seeking to support people that are trying to do good things.” – Al Vega, Interim President, MassCOSH
After Al Vega and his colleagues at the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) moved to a new office building in the summer of 2021, they received notice from their former landlord that he was keeping their security deposit due to what he considered excessive wear and tear in the old space. The landlord also claimed that the repairs and removal of furniture and other items necessitated nearly $10,000 in additional fees.
A few months later, MassCOSH received notice that the landlord had filed in small claims court, and in the summer of 2022 they were subsequently summoned to attend a virtual small claims trial scheduled for the fall.
Al and the rest of the MassCOSH team felt strongly that none of the landlord’s claims had merit. They argued that they had left the former space in normal condition, and even compiled a spreadsheet extensively documenting their rebuttals to each of the landlord’s assertions.
As the trial date approached, MassCOSH reached out to the Clearinghouse seeking legal advice. They wanted to know more about their options for mediation, settlement, and representation were the case to proceed.
Through the Clearinghouse’s Legal Referral Program, MassCOSH was connected with volunteer attorneys Daniel Curran and Thomas Hayman, of Nelson Mullins, who helped them review the landlord’s claims, assess the evidence and documents MassCOSH had compiled, and come up with a plan of action.
Dan and Tom then drafted a letter to the former landlord outlining the matter at hand and encouraging him to settle due to the overwhelming evidence in favor of MassCOSH. Following a round of negotiations with Tom, the landlord ultimately agreed to keep the security deposit but withdraw his demand for further payment.
Thanks to the dedicated assistance from Dan and Tom, the team at MassCOSH has been able to settle comfortably into their new office space and focus on their vital mission to support workers, advocate for labor rights, and address unsafe working conditions.
