This story was originally published by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Subscribe to their newsletter here.
Tenants generally don’t stand much of a chance in eviction court in Shelby County.
They’re rarely represented by a lawyer, and most of the General Sessions Civil judges overseeing cases don’t take the time to explain what’s going on.
One of the few rights tenants have is to delay their case for 15 days — either by requesting a continuance or by contesting the charge they owe money — if it’s their first time in court for that specific eviction.
During this delay, tenants can come up with the money they owe, work out a deal with their landlord, hire a lawyer or find a new apartment. It’s an important enough right that explaining it to tenants was one of the key ways Shelby County said it hoped to deploy a recent $250,000 grant.