VermontSuperiorCourt

### Fflfiflufifflfié

### VERMONTSUPERIOR

### COURT

## CIVILDIVISIONRutland

### UnitCase

### No.

### 23-CV-0407083Center

### StRutland

## VT05701

### 802-775-4394WWW.Vennontiudiciarv.orgfl?£3?

### HilarieTolstoi

### PlaintiffV.

### Kathleen

### WilsonDefendant

### Decisionon

### PlaintiffsMotionforPavment

### ofRentInto

### Court

### Decisionon

### Defendant’sMotionto

### DismissPlaintiff-landlord

### Hilarie

### Tolstoiseeksrent-escroworder.

### Atthemotionhearing,defendant

### Kathleen

### Wilsonarguedthatthe

### evictioncomplaintshouldbedismissedfortwoindependentreasons.

### Thefirstissue

### involvesfederalhousingregulations.

### Landlordsparticipatinginfederalhousingprogramsmustprovidethepublichousingagency

### withcopy

### ofany

### “ownereviction

### notice”

### given

### bythelandlordtothetenant.24

### C.F.R.982.310(e)(2)(ii).Theterm

### “ownereviction

### notice”means

### “anoticetovacate,orcomplaintorother

### initialpleadingusedunderstateor

### local

### lawtocommencean

### evictionaction.”24

### C.F.R.982.310(e)(2)(i).Inotherwords,asappliedto

### Vermont’sprocedures,theterm

### “ownereviction

### notice”referstothenotice

### ofterminationthatisprovidedtothetenantinaccordance

### with

### V.S.A.4467(a),andtothe

### evictioncomplaintthatis

### filedinaccordance

### with12

### V.S.A.4852.Inthisparticularcase,

### plaintiffgavethepublichousing

### agency

### copy

### ofthenotice

### oftermination,butdidnotalsoprovidetheagency

### withcopy

### ofthecomplaint.Defendantarguesthatlandlordmustprovidethepublichousingagency

### withbothdocuments.

### Thepurpose

### oftheregulationistoprovidethe

### publichousing

### agency

### withanopportunitytocommunicate

### withthetenantandthelandlordaboutthetermination

### oftherentalagreement,andto“preservethehousingsubsidyforthetenant

## ifat

### allpossible.”

### Calcianov.

### Caldwell,2010

### WL1930323

### (Conn.Super.

### Ct.

### May3,

### 2010);Winnsv.

### Rosado,

## lllA.3d155,158

## (NJ.Super.

### Ct.

### 2014);Town

### ofOyster

### BayHousingAuth.v.

### Kohler,2012

### WL975076,*3

### (N.Y.Dist.

### Ct.Mar.21,

### 2012).number

### ofcasessupportthepositionthatan

### evictionactionmustbedismissed

## ifthelandlord

### failstosendanywritten

### “ownereviction

### notice”tothe

### publichousingagencyin

### timelymanner,e.g.,

### FranklinSouth

## LLCv.Charbonneau,

### No.

### 22-CV-03982

### (Vt.Super.

### Ct.Mar.2,

### 2023)

### (Toor,

### J.);Bournev.

### Baker,No.

### 22-CV-00163

### (Vt.Super.

### Ct.Mar.30,

### 2022)(Gerety,.);

### Borofikyv.

### Rhodes-Harrz's,

### No.

### 231-7-16

### Wmcv

### (Vt.Super.

### Ct.Oct.20,

### 2016)

### (Kainen,.);

### Parsonsv.

### Norway,No.

### 20-2-14

### Lecv(Vt.Super.

### Ct.Oct.28,

### 2014)(Pearson,

### J.);Hinksonv.Wilson,2017

### WL5929282

### (Conn.Super.

### Ct.

### Nov.8,

### 2017).OrderPageof23-CV-04070HilarieTolstoiv.KathleenWilsonOrder Page 2 of 3

23-CV-04070 Hilarie Tolstoi v. Kathleen Wilson 

### However, the court was not able to find any cases indicating that a landlord must provide the

public housing agency with both the notice of termination and the eviction complaint. On the contrary,

the only case that the court found was one holding that the landlord must provide the public housing

agency with “either” the notice to vacate “or” the complaint, but that the federal regulation does not

require the landlord to provide both. Trahan v. 2010 Beglis, LLC , 81 So.3d 192, 197 (La. Ct. App.

2011).

Here, plaintiff provided the public housing agency with a copy of the notice of termination.

This satisfied the purpose of the federal regulation: the notice of termination provided the agency with

the information it needed to communicate with the tenant and the landlord about the possible eviction.

Calciano , 2010 WL 1930323 at *1. An additional notice of the same eviction would not further the

regulatory purpose. For this reason, in the absence of contrary authority, the court does not interpret

the federal regulation as requiring the landlord to provide the public-housing agency with both types of

the “owner eviction notice.”

The second issue involves ownership of the rental property. Plaintiff filed this eviction

complaint in her own name, but conceded at the rent-escrow hearing that the property is owned by a

limited-liability company called Wistol LLC, and that defendant’s rental agreement is with the limitedliability company. Plaintiff represented that she is the sole owner of the LLC. However, that does not

mean that she and the LLC are interchangeable legal entities.

Vermont Civil Procedure Rule 17(a) requires lawsuits to be brought in the name of the “real

party in interest,” meaning the legal entity who has “the right to be enforced,” rather than whomever

has “the ultimate beneficial interest.” Vt. R. Civ. P. 17(a) & Reporter’s Notes; 6A Wright, Miller,

Kane & Marcus, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil 3d § 1543. Here, plaintiff asserts that she is the

one who ultimately benefits from any rent paid to the LLC, but she admits that the LLC is the owner of

the property and the landlord who is entitled to judgment for possession of the property. For this

reason, the LLC should be named as the plaintiff in this eviction complaint, rather than Ms. Tolstoi in

her individual capacity.

At the rent-escrow hearing, the court said that it would allow plaintiff to amend the complaint

verbally on the record to effectuate this change, but the court should not have done that, because it did

not afford defendant an adequate opportunity to be heard on the motion. 6 Wright & Miller, Federal

Practice and Procedure: Civil 3d § 1485. For this reason, and for purposes of documentation and

clarity, the court will (1) deny plaintiff’s motion for payment of rent into court, because it was not filed

by the legal entity entitled to enforcement of the rental agreement, and (2) require plaintiff to file a

motion to substitute a party or to amend the complaint within 30 days of the file-stamped date of this

order, e.g., Vt. R. Civ. P. 17(a); South Burlington Mechanical and Elec. Contractors, Inc. v. Graybar

Elec. Co., Inc. , 138 Vt. 580, 581 (1980). As outlined in Graybar Elec. Co. , this is the preferred

procedure for addressing this situation, rather than dismissal of the case. The motion for rent escrow

may be renewed upon the filing and service of the motion to substitute a party or amend the complaint.

For these reasons:

(1) Plaintiff’s Motion for Payment of Rent into Court is denied;

(2) Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss is denied; andOrder Page 3 of 3

23-CV-04070 Hilarie Tolstoi v. Kathleen Wilson 

### (3) Plaintiff must file a motion to substitute a party or to amend the complaint, with service

under Rule 5, within 30 days of the file-stamped date of this order, or the matter may be dismissed

without further notice.

Electronically signed on Tuesday, December 26, 2023 pursuant to V.R.E.F. 9(d).

H. Dickson Corbett

Superior Court Judge