A landlord whose tenants received misleading eviction warnings as Louisiana’s coronavirus crisis began is now threatening legal action against renters in Algiers who haven’t paid up.

Orleans Parish judges have halted evictions until at least May 4, but the new notices from landlord Joshua Bruno’s company tell tenants to “pay or vacate” and promise “appropriate legal action” if they do not.

The notices drew exasperated responses from tenants, City Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer and legal advocates who say they run afoul of the new federal stimulus act. But Bruno argued the new law didn’t apply to him — and sought to put the blame on tenants.

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The situation at the Cypress Park apartment complex highlights the conflicts that may be brewing in many places: Renters who’ve lost their jobs because of the coronavirus crisis are failing to make rent payments to landlords, who are barred for now from evicting them.

Despite the eviction moratorium, several tenants of Bruno’s MetroWide Apartments company received notices last month warning that “evictions will continue.” Bruno disavowed those notices and blamed them on an errant groundskeeper.

But this week notices to vacate began arriving at the Algiers complex, and Bruno didn't disclaim those. Instead, he said that while he acknowledges he can’t kick any tenants out now, he intends to do so once the courts reopen.

“A large number have been carrying balances PRIOR to corona, and have failed on on promises to pay BEFORE corona and after … and have ignored all calls and texts in attempt to work out agreement and or provide us with any information other than ‘telling off’ my office team,” Bruno said in an email.

But even if tenants have a history of nonpayment, Bruno is barred by law from sending them notices to vacate, according to Hannah Adams, an attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services who represents low-income tenants.

Adams, who’s sparred with Bruno in court before, said the federal CARES Act signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27 prohibits landlords who receive money through programs like Section 8 from issuing notices to vacate.

Bruno cannot file for an eviction, charge fees for late rent or issue vacate notices until July 25 at properties receiving most federal subsidies, including federally backed mortgages, Adams said.

Bruno has a different interpretation.

“We of course follow all laws both state and federal but disagree completely with the slanderous and libel(ous) statements made by” Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, he said in an email.

More tenants could be in a similar situation whenever the eviction moratorium ends, Adams said. She worries that renters throughout the city could face eviction threats or notices to vacate from landlords who are covered by the CARES Act, without knowing that they should be protected.

“Judges will need to require that landlords provide proof that their property is NOT covered by the CARES Act as part of their burden, or risk mass eviction of protected tenants in violation of federal law,” she said.

One of Bruno’s tenants at the Algiers apartment complex said the notice to vacate added to her anxiety during an already uncertain time.

Johnquil Kelley said she didn’t make rent on April 1 because she lost her job at a French Quarter restaurant when the pandemic prompted a near-total shutdown of the hospitality industry.

Meanwhile, someone recently stole the air conditioning unit that sat outside her apartment, she said, and she’s been trying for weeks to get MetroWide to give her a replacement. Then came the vacate notice printed on red paper, she said.

“At first I’m like, ‘this is illegal.’ But now I’m kind of worried, because I don’t really know what extremes he’ll go to at this point. I’m not sure what he’ll do,” she said.

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The situation has drawn the attention of Palmer, whose office has attempted to intervene on Kelley’s behalf. The councilwoman said she has previously butted heads with Bruno over the condition of another apartment complex in Algiers.

“This is pretty typical,” Palmer said of the notice Kelley received. She voiced concern that Kelley might have received the notice as “payback” for complaining about the AC unit.

“We do not need him in Algiers. He owns slum property and he does not clean it up,” Palmer said.

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Bruno said Kelley was a problem tenant. He accused her of threatening his employees and implied that she might have had something to do with the missing air conditioner.

“Out of ALL OUR apartments this ONE tenant seems to be having items stolen ONLY from her unit as fast as we can replace them,” he said.

Kelley denied threatening MetroWide employees or stealing her own AC unit. "That’s crazy,” she said.

On some of the hot days since she lost her unit, she’s been forced to rent a hotel room to house her 4-year-old son, she said. Other times, she’s resorted to ice cream to keep him cool.

“You feel like you’re so bad as a parent,” she said. “This is making me feel guilty, and I shouldn’t have to feel guilty.”