Houston Court Rules for Landlord in Eviction, Awards $6,270
A landlord filed an eviction lawsuit against a tenant for non-payment of rent. The tenant claimed a car accident and hospitalization prevented them from appearing in court. The court initially issued a default judgment for the landlord. After a trial, the court awarded the landlord possession of the property and monetary damages.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Plaintiff
- Amount
- $4,770
- County
- Harris County, TX
- Resolved
- 2023
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Other
- Accident Type
- Other
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Accident
Settlement Context
This verdict-plaintiff of $4,770 is below the median of $14,473 for other cases resolved by verdict-plaintiff. The typical range is $4,770 to $42,056, based on 190 cases in our database.
Case Overview
A landlord filed a forcible detainer action in Houston, Texas, on February 15, 2023, seeking possession of a residential property. The plaintiff alleged the tenant failed to pay $954.00 in monthly rent starting January 1, 2023, accumulating $1,908.00 in back rent, despite having entered a lease on December 5, 2022. A notice to vacate was issued on February 7, 2023. The landlord also stated the property was not subject to specific CARES Act provisions concerning covered dwellings or multifamily borrowers.
After alternative service was authorized and executed in early March 2023, the tenant failed to appear at the scheduled court date, later claiming a car accident and hospitalization. Consequently, a default judgment was entered on March 21, 2023, granting the landlord possession of the premises.
The tenant attempted to appeal the judgment on March 28, 2023, by filing a statement of inability to afford costs. The court required a $954.00 payment into its registry by April 4, 2023, for the appeal to proceed. The landlord obtained a Writ of Possession on April 5, 2023. A non-jury trial on May 30, 2023, concluded with a ruling for the landlord, awarding possession, $4,770.00 in monetary damages with post-judgment interest, and $1,500.00 in attorney's fees. The final judgment was entered on June 1, 2023.
Understanding This Case
- This case went to trial and resulted in a jury verdict. Verdicts can yield higher awards but carry the risk of receiving nothing if the jury rules against the plaintiff.
- This case was resolved in Harris County, Texas. Local jury tendencies, judge assignments, and regional economic conditions all influence case outcomes in this jurisdiction.
- Resolved in 2023, this case reflects the legal and economic conditions of that period, including medical costs, insurance practices, and jury award trends at the time.
VerdictlyTM Score
This outcome is within expected ranges
This score is calculated by analyzing injury type, accident details, geographic location, temporal trends, and comparing against 2,000+ similar cases in our database.
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