Tenant who bounces cheques told by judge to pay up

[LLC]

Published On Wed May 30 2012

Nina Willis, 48, has been ordered out of at least six homes in seven years, according to court documents and interviews with lawyers, paralegals and previous landlords. Willis is appealing a recent Landlord and Tenant Board decision to evict her.

Nina Willis, 48, has been ordered out of at least six homes in seven years, according to court documents and interviews with lawyers and previous landlords. Willis is appealing a recent Landlord and Tenant Board decision to evict her.

A tenant from hell with a track record of bounced cheques and eviction notices has been warned by a Superior Court judge to pay what she owes or expect to face consequences in court.

Nina Willis made a brief appearance at Osgoode Hall courts Wednesday. She is appealing an eviction order issued by the Landlord and Tenant Board after she failed to pay rent.

“You have the right to prosecute an appeal but not to withhold your rent,” said Justice Herman Wilton-Siegel, after granting an adjournment to allow Willis time to obtain a lawyer and pay her landlord the $8,250 she owes him.

“The circumstances before the court when it hears this matter will be completely different depending on whether you pay your rent,” he said.

Willis, who habitually fails to pay her landlords and abuses protections at the Landlord and Tenant Board to delay her evictions, was the subject of a Star investigation in early May. She has been living inside a home in Don Mills since August, failing to pay rent to landlord Darius Vakili for many of those months.

Wednesday’s hearing was adjourned after Willis alleged a “conflict of interest” in part because Vakili’s lawyer, David Strashin, represented three of her previous landlords. Vakili is attempting to have her appeal quashed.

Wilton-Siegel gave Willis the time to get legal advice but strongly cautioned she “can’t simply come into court” and make allegations. He said she needs to be prepared to present a recognized legal argument when she returns to court.

Willis, dressed in a tidy white dress and grey jacket, said “I want to get a lawyer. I’ll pay for (the lawyer) and I’ll pay Mr. Vakili.”

Willis typically loses her cases in front of the Landlord and Tenant Board and often appeals the board decision, resulting in an appearance before an appeals court.

The Star had to use court records and interviews with past landlords and lawyers to confirm Willis has been ordered out of at least six homes since 2005.

Board hearings are open to the public, but unlike cases before the courts privacy legislation means landlords have no access to previous decisions.

Willis is scheduled to appear at Osgoode Hall on June 7th.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/120 ... -to-pay-up

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