Evening star., 1940-06-07
Municipa Court
Conference Grows
Into Verbal Battle
Judge Coyton Adjourns
'Bodeerins Contest
For Later Meeting

what set out TO be a friendly con-
ference of lawyers, housing author
tiles and real estate officials became
something of verbal battle yester-
day during a meeting at Municipal
Court to discuss means of improving
recently modified rules in the Land
lord-Tenant Branch of the court.
Toward the close of the session
Judge Nathan Cayton admonished
the participants with the statement
that the conference had "degen-
Grated into badgering contest
With apparently nothing accom-
plished, the jurist suggested that
another meeting be called at a later
date to work out uniform, stand
ard philosophy"
Attending the session were repre-
sentatives of the Washington Hous-
ing Association, the District Bar
Association, the Washington Real
Estate Board and judges of Munich
pal Court.
Wanted to Bar Press.
The modified rules were put in ef-
feet last October as step to aid
tenants of the low rent classic to
$50 per month-leaSt able to bear
the financial strain. The housing
association was largely responsible
for changing the rules and yester-
day requested the judges to make
further efforts to learn why so many
tenants are brought into court.
At the outset of the hearing At
torney Louis Gutenberg, represent
ing the District Bar Association, OBJ
jected to the admission of news
paper reporters and photographers
at the meeting. He said he under
stood it was to be a private, closed
conference, but other representa-
tives overruled him.
A spirited discussion took place on
legal technicalities involved in the
rules. Attorney Albert Mickler ac-
cused the association of "perpetrat-
ing fraud upon the tenants" He
declared that the housing associa-
ton, supported by the Community
Chest, was trying by indirection to
change the law and undermine the
very people the Chest was support
ing
Before there was such an organ
ization as the w. H. A." he re-
marked, the tenants could get ex-
tensions from landlords. Now
however, the rules have been
changed, creating one-sided situa-
ton in the courts. The tenant no
longer goes to the landlord for a stay
of eviction. The tenant now is sued
more often and the owner is forced
to come into court That forces
tenants to pay court fees they didn't
use to pay"
Darr Sees Outmoded Concept.
Seton Darr. former president of
the District Bar Association, told
the conference that, in his opinion
some lawyers were operating under
concept of justice that existed 100
years ago. 1T is the duty of the
administrators of justice in de-
mocracy to force the landlords and
tenants to get together to solve their
problems Mr.. Darr remarked.
Attorney William Rowan asked
W. H. A. officials If they had reached
the point of taking the judges to
task. rs it the purpose of the asso-
citation to tell the judges how to
run the court?" he asked.
Addressing the housing association
delegates, Mr.. Gutenberg said:
LAS understand it, what you want
to do is to educate the tenant tc
work out his problems with the
landlord, so he won't have to spend
money in the courts. Why not work
with the landlords instead of the
courts? A layman's group should
not formulate lot of questions fol
the court to ask. That is problem
for the bar association and legaI
minds. From what 1 gather, you
want to penalize the landlord. We
expect, on behalf of property own
ers. to get equal justice under the
law"
Mr.. Ottenberg's remarks brought
from j. Bernard Wycoff, president
of the w. H. A., statement that he
thought Mr.. Gutenberg should not
be asked to any more conferences.
The hectic meeting closed when
Judge Robert E. Mattingly moved
to adjourn, following Judge Cayton's
suggestion for another conference.
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