FEMA Barred from Terminating Rental Assistance for Hurricane Evacuees
Monday, June 25
- Organization: Shriver Center
On June 13, 2007, a federal court in New Orleans, Louisiana, issued a preliminary injunction in Ridgely v. FEMA
, prohibiting FEMA from 1) terminating rental assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina and Rita without giving them adequate notice of the reason for the proposed termination and the opportunity for a meaningful pre-termination hearing; 2) seeking recovery of alleged overpayments without giving individuals an adequate written notice and opportunity for a meaningful hearing; and 3) refusing to pay rental assistance to otherwise eligible evacuees whom FEMA believes were previously overpaid without giving them an adequate written notice and opportunity for a meaningful pre-termination hearing. The court also allowed the case to proceed as a class action. Plaintiffs are represented by the National Center for Law and Economic Justice.