Jared Kushner’s real estate company has been getting judges in Maryland to issue arrests for tenants who owe the firm money, according to a report.
Kush Cos. has requested the arrests of 105 former Maryland residents since 2013 for not appearing in court over accusations they had not paid their debts, The Baltimore Sun reported.
Tenants who have been targeted say they hadn’t received proper notice for their court appearances they allegedly missed.
“People are being arrested for a debt that they may not even be aware of, or for a court date they may not have been aware of,” state Sen. William Smith told the newspaper.
Judges approve the arrests or “body attachments” to get tenants to appear at court. Tenants are not detained for owing money, but rather for ignoring two court notices, landlords say.
Attorney General Brian Frosh, who has been advocating to stop the practice, told The Sun that some tenants may not be aware they owe money because their homes were sold to another company. They also miss court orders because they’ve moved elsewhere, he said.
Jennifer McLean, the chief financial officer of Kushner Cos., told the newspaper that when the company files legal action against a tenant, it does it only when it’s “absolutely necessary.”
The New York-based Kushner Cos. has 9,000 units in Maryland and receives almost $90 million in revenue, according to documents obtained by the paper.
A lawsuit filed Tuesday accused Kushner’s firm of violating New York law by overcharging former tenants at a Brooklyn building.
In January, Kushner, adviser and son-in-law to President Trump, stepped down as CEO of his company.
