Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office has filed another lawsuit against a landlord accused of taking illegal actions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This lawsuit contends that a Meeker County landlord, Ikechukwu Michael Nwachukwu, repeatedly disconnected a tenant’s water service, making his home uninhabitable and in violation of Gov. Tim Walz’s Executive Order 20-14 and Minnesota’s landlord-tenant laws.
“Most landlords are doing right by their tenants at a time when it’s harder and harder for Minnesotans to afford their lives,” Ellison said in a statement. “But my office is demonstrating once again that if you’re a landlord who’s violating the Executive Order and breaking the law during this crisis, we’ll take swift and strong action against you on behalf of all Minnesotans.”
Nwachukwu owns a manufactured home park in Cosmos.
After Ellison’s office informed the landlord Thursday that his actions were illegal, Nwachukwu restored water service to the property, but has threatened to turn it off again, the statement from Ellison’s office said.
The tenant in the home park has been forced out of his home and is staying with a friend in another city.
A week ago, Ellison’s office announced a lawsuit against Pine County landlord Howard Mostad.
According to Ellison’s office, Mostad violated the same executive order by entering his tenants’ home in Sandstone against their wishes, disconnecting their electricity and attempting to pressure them to vacate the property.
Ellison encourages Minnesotans to report any suspected violations of Executive Order 20-14 by filling out the dedicated Tenant Eviction Complaint Form on the front page of the Attorney General’s website.