Virginia courts were authorized to resume hearing eviction cases Monday, allowing hundreds of landlords to try to force nonpaying tenants out of their apartments as the coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis continue to rage on.
The Virginia Supreme Court last week issued an order allowing courts to resume eviction hearings June 29, following a series of emergency moratoriums that halted cases.
Eviction proceedings in Virginia were first halted in March, when Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency. There was then a temporary resumption of court eviction proceedings in mid-May, when Virginia entered Phase 1 of its reopening process, but Northam then issued an eviction moratorium June 8 as he worked to set up a rent relief program.
Northam said Thursday he would use CARES Act funds to deploy $50M in rental and mortgage assistance to residents. Some advocates say that money likely won’t be sufficient, and it may not reach renters quickly enough to avoid evictions. Landlords are already lining up and preparing to bring hundreds of eviction cases before Virginia judges.
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