A US District Court judge has thrown out a new San Francisco law that significantly increases the payouts landlords must award tenants they evict under the Ellis Act. Judge Charles Breyer ruled that the payments—which could top $100,000 in cases where a tenant is displaced from a rent-controlled unit—violate property rights, because they hold landlords financially liable for market conditions they didn't create. City attorney Dennis Herrera will decide whether to appeal in the next few days. [SFGate; previously]
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