Question: can a tenant get a restraining order against a landlord

Answer: Yes, If a landlord is found to be retaliating, he or she will not be able to evict the tenant, who may also be awarded damages from the landlord of one to three months' rent plus attorney's fees. The landlord also cannot willfully deprive the tenant of heat, hot water, gas, electricity, lights, water, or refrigeration service. Nor can the landlord lock out the tenant or remove him/her from their apartment without going through the proper court procedure. The tenant can ask the court to issue a restraining order, file a criminal complaint against the landlord, or sue him/her for money damages and attorney's fees. Because of these options for recourse, it may be to the tenant's advantage to complain about code violations in writing before the landlord issues a notice of an eviction or a rent increase. If a tenant attempts to claim retaliation, but did not complain about violations until after he or she received notice from the landlord, the tenant will be found to have no valid claim. The court will not find that the landlord was retaliating against the tenant for an action he or she had not yet taken.