The US must face claims over the pandemic ban on residential evictions
June 6 (Reuters) – A U.S. federal appeals court ruled Friday that the United States must face potentially billions of dollars in legal claims over a temporary ban on residential evictions during the COVID pandemic that affected millions of landlords.
The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a 7-3 decision, opens new tab and rejected the government’s bid to overturn a decision by a panel of judges last year that refused to dismiss claims from landlords seeking compensation over the eviction moratorium.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September 2020 issued a nationwide order halting residential evictions after the expiration of an earlier 120-day directive by Congress.
The agency’s order, which lasted about a year, focused on combating the spread of the coronavirus.
The court ruling on Friday could spur the United States to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. Damages have been estimated at tens of billions of dollars, as rental property owners were blocked from evicting people who were not paying rent.