Christina McEuen – William & Jeffrey
Christina McEuen was still adjusting to life as a widowed mother of three when she signed a lease on a small home in the Mandarin neighborhood of Jacksonville in 2016.
Almost immediately after moving in, McEuen found the house had leaks everywhere, including the roof, pipes, and water heater. When an outlet caught fire, she discovered the fire extinguisher didn’t work. The handyman sent to correct the problems essentially applied useless Band-Aids to gaping wounds.
“This house was a nightmare,” said McEuen, who had been a server at St. Mary’s Seafood and More until she gave birth to a baby with a compromised immune system and other special needs, including severe autism. Early in her pregnancy, her husband had died in a trucking accident, so she was alone in caring for her little Mikey and his older brothers, William and Jeffrey.
After pouring more than $10,000 into the court registry and representing herself in an effort to withhold rent until the landlord made proper repairs—and after she and her children had endured years of the extreme health effects of toxic mold—McEuen finally found salvation at the hands of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and pro bono attorney Nick Pulignano, head of the Business Practice Group at Marks Gray.
“JALA took a huge weight off my shoulders when they found Mr. Nick Pulignano for my case. That was truly incredible, because up until that point we were just winging it,” McEuen said.
By the time McEuen was referred to JALA through its Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership, she had reported the situation to Jacksonville Code Enforcement, which had ordered the landlord to make the necessary repairs, to no avail. And she had already provided the judge with documentation, including a report from a Code Enforcement building inspector.
“He’d actually said the house should probably be condemned because it was so dilapidated internally,” McEuen said.
Pulignano first attempted to negotiate a settlement, asking that the landlord agree to release the court registry rent so McEuen could afford to move. Negotiations were unsuccessful, and the case went to mediation.
“At mediation, the landlord agreed that the client would be paid $4,500 from the court registry, and the parties agreed that all claims and counterclaims would be dismissed with prejudice,” Pulignano said, adding that the mediator provided pro bono services as well.
By that point McEuen, who was living on $1,600 a month from her Social Security survivor’s benefits and her son’s disability benefits, had already taken out several small loans to be able to move out of the house. The settlement funds allowed her to repay that debt, pay other moving expenses and replace some of her furniture that had been damaged or destroyed by water, mold and mildew.
McEuen couldn’t be more pleased with the prompt and courteous attention she got from Pulignano.
“Every time he’d get an update, he’d either give me a call or shoot me an e-mail. He was amazing. He was on point,” said McEuen, who also credits JALA for the outcome. “It blew me out of the water how much JALA cared and looked after me. I’m just a random fish in the sea, and these guys were looking out for me and my family, and so was Nick.”
She and her boys, now 6, 17 and 20, now live in Arlington, one of the areas Pulignano had recommended to her. In her new home, McEuen deals directly with the owner, who has made prompt and effective repairs whenever needed, including entirely replacing the air conditioning unit.
After being in a mold-free environment for six months, her sons’ coughing and migraines have subsided, and the trips to Wolfson Children’s Hospital for her youngest are now fewer and farther between.
“It’s a nice area, so we made out better in the end,” McEuen said.
More than 170 tenants of private landlords in Duval County received help from JALA’s Eviction Defense Self Help Project in 2020, including 34 who were facing eviction and more than 100 others who were dealing with landlords who were not adequately maintaining their properties. Through the project, pro bono attorneys help tenants with potential eviction defenses file their answers. Initially funded by The Florida Bar Foundation, the project is now in search of a permanent funding source.
If you’re licensed to practice law in Florida and would like to make a difference for someone who can’t afford to retain an attorney, contact Missy Davenport at missy.davenport@jaxlegalaid.org for more information about pro bono opportunities.
